The People's Republic of China is upset and has formally complained to the United States government after His Holiness the Dalai Lama was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. H. H. the Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet, despite living in exile in neighboring India for decades. H. H. the Dalai lama has alread won the Nobel Prize for Peace, and this latest award will hopefully help bring the focus of the American people on to the plight of Tibetans and the continued persecution of religious freedoms by the Chinese government.
The Dalai Lama's exile to India began after a failed Tibetan uprising, backed partially by the CIA, against a Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1959. Despite the Dalai Lama's exile, he still has a major influence over the lives of the Tibetan people. So much so that the Government of China has classified himas a rebel and separatist.
China has attempted to label the spiritual beliefs of Tibetans as "backwards" and "supersticious." H. H. the Dalai Lama has advocated greater religious autonomy for the Tibetan people, and has advocated peaceful means to do so.
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