Dharamshala, India

US lawmaker and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday (June 19) sharply criticised China after she met the 88-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader The Dalai Lama in India's Dharamshala. 

A bipartisan delegation from the US Congress, led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, is in Dharamsala, located in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.

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Pelosi praised the Dalai Lama for spreading love and affirmed that his legacy will last forever.

In a strongly-worded statement, she also drew a sharp contrast between Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Dalai Lama.

"...His Holiness Dalai Lama, with his message of knowledge, tradition, compassion, purity of soul and love, will live a long time and his legacy will live forever. But you, the President of China, you'll be gone and nobody will give you credit for anything," Pelosi said. 

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Speaking on how Dalai Lama, who is known globally for his teachings on peace, compassion and non-violence, would react to her statements, Pelosi said, "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 continued, "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..." 

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US lawmakers at his monastery in Dharamsala also asserted their stance against allowing China to influence the choice of his successor.

This visit comes in the wake of the US House of Representatives voting 391-26 on June 12 to pass the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act.

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"United States public diplomacy efforts should counter disinformation about Tibet from the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, including disinformation about the history of Tibet, the Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions including that of the Dalai Lama," as per the act. 

Recounting a past encounter with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pelosi shared, "There was a visit of the President of China to Washington, DC and I said to him, we are objecting to what you are doing to the culture of Tibet. He said, you know what you're talking about, you should go there and see for yourself all the improvements that China is making in Tibet.

"I said, thank you because I've been trying for 25 years to get a visa to go to Tibet. So we went there with our delegation. We went to the Potala Palace. We saw the room where His Holiness grew up."

China reacts to Pelosi's visit 

In response to the US delegation's visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, “The 14th Dalai Lama is not a pure religious figure, but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion.” 

“We are gravely concerned over the relevant reports and urge the US side to fully recognise the anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai group, honour the commitments the US has made to China on issues related to Xizang, have no contact with the Dalai group in any form, and stop sending the wrong signal to the world”, he said.

(With inputs from agencies)