'China lacks moral authority of true superpower'

Thu, May 22 09:50 AM

China's response to the earthquake disaster shows encouraging signs of openness but Beijing still lacks the moral authority of a true superpower, the Dalai Lama has said in an interview.

The Chinese authorities are slowly becoming more transparent and Beijing's Western economic allies need to spell out where they are going wrong, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader told BBC radio.

The Dalai Lama is in Britain until May 30 as part of a five-country tour, with talks on human rights and peace as well as meetings with lawmakers including Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The Buddhist monk was asked whether the transparency shown by China in dealing with the earthquake gave him hope about the way Beijing might deal with Tibet in the future.

"It is an indication that China is changing, becoming more open, and I think the leadership gradually or cautiously moves onto more openness, more transparent," he said.

"This is good so I'm hopeful about the handling in government and media with earthquake, I think quite transparent. It is a wonderful, an encouraging sign."

He described the earthquake's impact as "shocking".

"When I heard about young children, the students, then I really felt because of one child policy, I think many of these children's parents they have only one child. So if that one vanish, how much pain, very, very sad."

The 8.0-magnitude earthquake on May 12 which struck the south-western Sichuan province has killed or left missing more than 74,000 people, according to the Chinese government, and left 5.2 million people homeless.

RECOMMEND THIS STORY