Dalai Lama asks China to develop with trust India

WASHINGTON: Advocating "genuine friendship" between India and China, the Dalai Lama on Friday said it was essential for the two most populous nations to develop mutual trust, which can be achieved if China transforms into an "open society".

Talking to reporters after his meetings with President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Tibetan spiritual leader told China that if it has to realise its goal of becoming a superpower, it should also lay emphasis on moral authority and end censorship.

"China should be an open society. Then, trust can develop, particularly with India. I think the two most populated nations, genuine friendships between these two countries are very, very essential. Genuine friendship only comes on the basis of mutual trust," he said, even as he termed India as his home.

Contending that a closed society led to suspicion and distrust, he said: "If (former Chinese President) Jiang Zemin closed, everything state secret, state secret it can, you see, create more suspicion, more distrust."

Contending that censorship and hiding the truth, was "immoral," he said the over one billion people of China had the right to know the reality.

"And also, you see, the Chinese people have... brains to judge which is right, which is wrong. So there is no reason to put lot of control about media. That's wrong. This I really feel very strongly," he said.