In his newly published memoir, the Dalai Lama chronicles his 70-year struggle with China to secure a future for the Tibetan people. In “Voice for the Voiceless: Over Seven Decades of Struggle with China for My Land and My People,” the Dalai Lama shares his experiences since assuming the leadership of Tibet at the age of 16 before he fled into exile in India.
The Tibetan spiritual leader also describes negotiating with a series of Chinese leaders, from Mao Zedong, to his more recent attempts to communicate with President Xi Jinping. In an excerpt published here with permission from the publisher HarperCollins, the Dalai Lama says China’s government could make Tibetans feel welcome within the People’s Republic of China, but instead communist rule remains that of an “oppressive occupying power.”He also rejects Chinese involvement in the selection of the next Dalai Lama and says whoever that is “will be born in the free world.”
