I’m not splittist, but Chinese government considers me a splittist: Dalai Lama
DHARAMSALA, 5th April 2019: His Holiness the Dalai Lama has reiterated that Tibetans have been seeking a mutually acceptable solution to the Tibetan issue with China through Middle Way Approach since 1974.
“In 1974, we decided to not seek independence and seek a mutually acceptable solution. And, in 1979, we established a direct contact with the Chinese government. So basically, our side is open,” the Tibetan spiritual leader has said while responding to questions during a press conference in the Indian capital yesterday, reports the PTI.
Tibetans were “open” to such a solution, the Tibetan Nobel Laureate said and reiterated that he was not seeking Tibet’s independence from China.
“I’m not splittist, but the Chinese government considers me a splittist,” the Dalai Lama has said and added that in that sense, the Chinese government wants him to fight for Tibet’s independence drawing laughter from the crowd.
The octogenarian leader who has made the stand abundantly clear on numerous occasion restated that the Middle Way Approach (Umaylam in Tibetan), seeks a peaceful solution through dialogue, that is realistic and bears in mind both Tibetan and Chinese interests to amicably resolve the Tibetan issue.
The Middle Way Approach conceived the Dalai Lama does not seek independence, but genuine autonomy within the framework of the People’s Republic of China to ensure the survival of the Tibetan people with its distinct Buddhist cultural heritage and language and the natural environment of the Tibetan plateau.
Adopted unanimously as a policy by the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, Middle Way Approach is the official policy of the Central Tibetan Administration.