If we have fewer questions, that's better for the executive. Also, in the true democratic sense it's very robust. We are also very proud.
In fact, you are right, many of the refugees, around 60 million refugees in the diaspora, could learn something from Tibetan democracy, and how we function. We run our own schools, we run our own monasteries, we run are own settlements, and quite successfully so. Our literacy rate for those below the age of 60 is 94%, and in India, which is the host country, the literacy rate is anywhere from 76% to 82%. Our literacy rate is higher than the host country's, better than Nepal's, better than Bangladesh's, better than that of many of the neighbouring countries, even though we are refugees and in exile. It's something we are very proud of and we are following.
And then you're right, infrastructure is a tool of control, absolutely. The road that the Chinese helped us build—of course, we helped them build it also—led to the control and occupation of Tibet. Hence, as you see, at the movement there's a lot of debate about the belt and road initiative and whether or not it's good for the world. As far as Tibetans are concerned, that's how we got controlled. Infrastructure is definitely used as a tool of control and occupation. Whether Canada participates in the Asian infrastructure bank or not is for you to decide; I'll not comment, but one has to be wise when it comes to dealing with China and the Chinese government.
“We need to go green” is the slogan of the Chinese government and Chinese leaders. Are they actually going green or not? I'm pretty sure that when they sell their solar panels or other things, they want to say they are going green, but they have a track record of deforestation and mining all of our minerals in Tibet, and not respecting local cultures. For example, some sacred mountains and sacred rivers are mined and fished, you see. I think you might know the case of a Mongolian activist who stood in front of trucks to protect the sacred mountains. What did the Chinese truck drivers do? They just rode over the Mongolian and killed him. They act with impunity in Tibet, and in Mongolia as well.
As far as we are concerned, we'll go green when the Chinese leaders say they are actually going green, with reservation and anxiousness. One has to be very careful.