French President Macron says meeting the Dalai Lama will court “crisis” with China/ENG

2018. április 26./Phayul.com/TibetPress

eredeti cikk

By Tenzin Dharpo

DHARAMSHALA, April 26: French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday made a startling remark that meeting the exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama without consulting China would court “crisis” with China. He was speaking at a town hall with George Washington University students in the US capital during his state visit to the US.

Macron was reported as saying, "Now I'm president of the French republic. If I meet him, it will create indeed a crisis with China.” He also remarked that meeting the Tibetan leader "without any precondition," just to send a signal to China, would be "useless and counterproductive".

"Is it good for my people if I have a sort of countermeasures coming from China as a result of the meeting? For sure no," he further said.

While the statements come at a time when global economic clout is centred around China. However, Macron said that, "If France could be useful in order to fix the situation between the Dalai Lama and his people, and China, I will do my best. I hope so for China, I hope so for the Dalai Lama, I hope so for Buddhist people."

The French President has earlier met with the Dalai Lama when he was a candidate running for the top post in the French polity.