Dalai Lama hints at EU-like arrangement for Tibet, China

Dalai Lama has praised the European Union (EU) for preserving national cultures while pursuing collective goals, suggesting it could be a model for Tibet within China.

On a tour of Europe, the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader said on Thursday, "We are very much impressed by the spirit of the EU with independent and sort-of sovereign states in which the common interest is more important."

It was rare praise for a bloc struggling for unity after Britain's vote to leave.

Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile are seeking autonomy for Tibet but not independence.

"We happily join or remain within the People's Republic of China provided they must respect our unique culture including language," he said in Strasbourg, Germany, at the Council of Europe, the continent's human rights authority.