(Transcription and translation of interview given in Tibetan to the Tibetan service of Voice of America)

Today I have heard the news that the well-known Chinese leader Deng Xiaopeng has died. I met him before on a few occasions when I visited China. He was a man of few words. He spoke quietly, and whatever he spoke about concerned his duties. That was the way he first appeared to me. As I came to know him better in later meetings, and from what I knew of his own history before I had met him, it seemed clear to me that he was someone who finished what he started, a man of great determination with a tough, strong mind.

Even in a large country that has a lot of problems there will certainly be some successes and some benefits, but he was the leader of the Communist Party's totalitarian system, so even if he'd personally wanted to do some good, still the system itself dictates what to do, so it is inevitable that many mistakes are made. However, whether it is good or bad, a chapter of history has closed.

Concerning the Tibet issue, I hoped to resolve it during his lifetime. Because there was direct contact with the Chinese government since 1979, we knew each other for a long time; as individuals, we were long-time acquaintances. Also, Deng Xiaopeng had been involved in the Tibetan issue from the very beginning, all the way through right up to the end, so it seems he had the intention to resolve the Tibetan issue himself during his own lifetime. For my own part, I had hope and I worked hard on it, but as it turned out, the issue of Tibet could not be resolved during his lifetime. Perhaps he regretted this; for me, even now I cannot find a way to resolve it, so I regret that.

Thinking about it from the point of view of a Buddhist monk, we have to lead life after life, so whatever he has done, before we say it is good or bad, it has to be on the basis of karma, and I personally pray for a good rebirth for him, and I wish to offer my condolences to the members of his family. People who research history, after doing unbiased research on Deng Xiaopeng's public and private affairs, will gradually determine whether his life was beneficial for the nation of China or not, as well as with regard to the Tibetan issue. Only then will it become clear how much of the result of his work has been good or bad. I have nothing special to say about this.

The Dalai Lama

February 19, 1997