US Congress Votes to Give Dalai Lama Congressional Gold Medal
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill to award Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, with the United States' highest civilian honor. More than two-thirds of House members supported Wednesday's bill to award the Dalai Lama the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his advocacy of religious harmony, non-violence and human rights.
Last week, Canada granted the Dalai Lama honorary Canadian citizenship during his visit to Vancouver. The decision drew a formal complaint from China.
Beijing has long condemned the Dalai Lama as an enemy of Chinese national unity because of his demands for greater autonomy for Tibet. China says it strongly opposes any country's offer to give the Buddhist leader a stage for what it considers his separatist activities.
美国国会众议院批准一项议案，授予西藏流亡精神领袖达赖喇嘛美国最高的平民荣誉。超过三分之二的众议员星期三投票支持向达赖喇嘛颁发国会金质奖章的议案，表彰他为提倡宗教和谐、非暴力和人权做出的贡献。
达赖喇嘛上个星期访问温哥华期间，加拿大向他授予荣誉公民。这项决定引发中国政府的正式抗议。
达赖喇嘛要求给予西藏更大的自治权，北京一直指责达赖喇嘛是破坏国家团结的敌人。中国说，中国强烈反对任何国家向这位佛教领袖提供从事他们所认为的分裂活动的舞台。
