By Y.L. Lin and P.C.Tang
Berlin, June 16 – The Dalai Lama said Thursday in Berlin that China’s fierce opposition has led him not to visit Taiwan during the past few years. The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader made the comments while responding to questions raised by Taiwanese reporters at a press conference. He told more than 100 journalists attending the press gathering that he visited Taiwan twice before and that the island has made remarkable cultural and economic achievements. Expressing his admiration for Taiwan’s efforts in preserving the tradition of Chinese Buddhism, the Dalai Lama said that maintaining the island’s democracy and freedom is a responsibility of the international community. Revealing that Beijing has fiercely opposed any visits by him to Taiwan, the Dalai Lama said that as he represents the 6 million people of Tibet and in order to continue to be able to hold talks with Beijing, he cannot visit the island. Saying that China has experienced rapid economic development, the Dalai Lama admitted that even though its political progress has been very slow, he is still optimistic about his talks with Beijing. At an awards ceremony held in the German city the same day, the Dalai Lama presented awards to former Czech President Vaclav Havel, as well as to a German political figure and a leader of a German pro-Tibet organization for their outstanding contributions to human rights in Tibet.
