US university will not back down on Dalai Lama invite

A university in California has said it will not back down over its decision to invite the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, to this year’s commencement ceremony, despite strenuous objections among mainland Chinese student groups. More than one in 10 of its students are Chinese.

The decision contrasts with that of a leading French university, Sciences Po, last year, which cancelled a conference with the Dalai Lama after pressure from China.

The University of California at San Diego, or UCSD, has said it extended the invitation to the Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace prize in 1989, to promote his message of “global responsibility and service to humanity”, and has said it will stand firm against criticism from Chinese student groups on campus.

More information: http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20170220202654954