NARITA, Chiba Pref. — China must get rid of its autocratic policies and install moral authority if it wants to establish itself as a true global superpower, the Dalai Lama said Wednesday.

The Tibetan spiritual leader, visiting Japan before a two-week trip to the United States, criticized Beijing for suppressing minorities and waging a "propaganda campaign" during an antigovernment rally in Lhasa, the capital, last year.

"Such a big nation acting like a child," he told reporters in Narita, Chiba Prefecture.