Sonipat (Haryana), Jan 12 (IANS) China needs democracy for Tibet to gain “genuine autonomy”, Tibetan Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay said Thursday.

Delivering a public lecture at the Jindal School of International Affairs here, Sangay said the democratic model under the leadership of the Dalai Lama could be an acceptable political solution to the Tibetan tangle.

He maintained that if China allowed the same religious and cultural freedom as well as democratic governance, then it could resolve the issue of Tibet.

Sangay praised India’s own democratic traditions and said the Tibetan government-in-exile, based in Dharamsala, had been inspired to follow the same traditions.

“Generally free and fair elections, a vibrant and critical print and electronic media and a commitment to resolving social tensions through dialogue and inter-communal harmony are all essential traits of India’s great democracy. We Tibetans have learnt many of these practices and are implementing them in exile.”

India is home to the Dalai Lama and some 100,000 Tibetan exiles.