At 86, the Dalai Lama is beloved around the globe for his promotion of world peace, religious harmony and the need for climate action. But while the Western world protests China’s human rights abuses, the Dalai Lama is eerily quiet. The spiritual leader of Tibet remains hopeful for a better future for Tibet with China.
International concerns that seem to harm China’s global image are evident in the Women’s Tennis Association’s suspension of tournaments in China, the growing international boycott of diplomats to the Winter Olympics and bipartisan congressional letters sent to the Biden administration last December to reinvigorate dialogue over the autonomy of the Tibetan people.
Yet when the Dalai Lama was asked about the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping during a November talk organized by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, he said, “I do not have any comments. China is changing.” When asked about the Winter Olympics, he skipped the question. He stressed that “as a simple Buddhist monk, I don’t want to be part of the political complication of China and Taiwan.” He expressed his desire to perform a pilgrimage to Mount Wutai in China and meet old friends in the military and politics. His hesitancy to criticize Xi’s government was most apparent. As critical voices grow toward China, why does the Dalai Lama abstain?
