'President Of China Will Be Gone': US Lawmaker After Meeting Dalai Lama In India, Praises Tibetan People

Former United States Congress Speaker Nancy Pelosi was among the seven members of the US Congressional delegation who met Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Wednesday (19 June) in India.

After meeting the Dalai Lama at his monastery in Dharamsala, US lawmaker McCaul asserted that the US would not allow China to interfere in choosing the successor of the exiled Tibetan leader.

Praising Dalai Lama, Pelosi said, "His message of knowledge, tradition, compassion, purity of soul and love, will live a long time and his legacy will live forever," and drew a contrast with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"But you, the President of China, you'll be gone and nobody will give you credit for anything. Dalai Lama would not approve of my saying that when I criticise the Chinese government, he says, let's pray for Nancy to rid her of her negative attitudes," she added.

"I hope he will indulge me today to say that change is on the way. As our colleagues have said hope brings some faith and the faith of the Tibetan people in the goodness of others is what is going to make all the difference...," Pelosi said further.

She said that the approval by the US Congress for the legislation, titled 'Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act' has sent a message to China that Washington is clear in its thinking on the issue of Tibet.

"This Bill says to the Chinese government: things have changed now, get ready for that," Pelosi said while McCaul expressed hope that one day the Dalai Lama and his people will return to Tibet in peace.