China has opposed another award given to the Dalai Lama, this time after the city of Milan awarded him citizenship.<br /><br /> Beijing says the Dalai Lama is campaigning for Tibet’s independence from China and warned that the award will have an impact on relations with Italy.<br /><br /> Buddhism’s spiritual leader, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, gave a characteristically humorous speech after receiving the award.<br /><br /> “I would like to know what is my right now and what is the duty. I want certain rights, I don’t want duty,” he told the audience.<br /><br /> Outside the theatre which hosted the ceremony around a hundred of the city’s sizeable ethnic Chinese population protested against the award.<br /><br /> Asked about the protesters the Dalai Lama said Chinese embassies often organized protests against him – but sometimes the protesters didn’t even know what they were protesting about.<br /><br /> Chinese companies have invested heavily in Italy in recent years, buying tyre maker Pirelli in 2015 and fashion house Krizia in 2014. A Chinese consortium has agreed to buy one of Italy’s leading football teams, AC Milan.<br /><br /> The Dalai Lama, who is now 80, advocates a “Middle Way” for Tibet where it gets greater autonomy but not independence from China.<br /><br /> Have you heard of #Tibet? How much do you know about it? Here are 8 facts about Tibet, a country occupied by #China since 1950. #FreeTibet pic.twitter.com/fcL5f4WTtO— Free Tibet (@freetibetorg) October 16, 2016<br /><br /> Tibet remains an autonomous region within China after Communist Chinese troops took control of it in 1950.<br />
