The “Tibet Question” has evolved into a Western synthesis of affairs and circumstances that govern the uncertainties of Tibet’s national identity- a mere euphemism concerning the improbabilities of Tibet’s political fate. Tensions seemingly escalate by the day, as questions of Tibet’s impending future become more and more desperate, and to the chagrin of many Tibetans, only the Chinese government has the foresight to ascertain a solution. Though the future of Tibet and China is still more or less unseen, it does happen to serve a function in illuminating the aspects of their rough and tumble past.
The premise to my essay concerns itself with the chronological development of Sino-Tibetan foreign relations. From its origins in tribute relations, on through Mongol dynastic rule, and ending in the apocalyptic era of Mao, I intend to explore the various strategic purposes and objectives that led to Tibetan neutrality and Chinese antagonism, the definitive stance of today’s affairs. The evolution of this relationship is no more than a mirror and reflection of the progression of ethnic kinship into a national identity. The fundamental purpose of my essay is to extend the “Tibet Question,” so as to include the uncertainties and questions of Tibet’s ethnic identity in conjunction with the real question regarding their political fate. I make the assertion that the conflict of today is simply the culmination of prior ethnic conflicts, and not the struggle for supremacy between two proximal nations. The Tibet Question has been misconstrued so as to consider the Sino-Tibetan conflict exclusively one of politics, but in truth, as my essay should reveal, it transcends borders and exposes greater ethnic attitudes.
Origins: An Exami...
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[5] Smith Jr., Tibetan Nation: A History of Tibetan Nationalism and Sino-Tibetan Relations, 23.
[6] Smith Jr., Tibetan Nation: A History of Tibetan Nationalism and Sino-Tibetan Relations, 22.
[7] Smith Jr., Tibetan Nation: A History of Tibetan Nationalism and Sino-Tibetan Relations, 23.
[8] Smith Jr., Tibetan Nation: A History of Tibetan Nationalism and Sino-Tibetan Relations, 25.
[9] Smith Jr., Tibetan Nation: A History of Tibetan Nationalism and Sino-Tibetan Relations, 27
[10] Smith Jr., Tibetan Nation: A History of Tibetan Nationalism and Sino-Tibetan Relations, 27.
[11] Melvyn C. Goldstein, The Snow Lion and the Dragon: China, Tibet and the Dalai Lama, 2.
[12] Melvyn C. Goldstein, The Snow Lion and the Dragon: China, Tibet and the Dalai Lama, 4.
[13] Hugh E. Richardson, Tibet and its History, 1-2.
capitalism in Hong Kong. This way, China would gain trusts from Hong Kong’s citizens that the conditions would be the same when the Great Britain returned the sovereignty of Hong Kong back to China. British and Chinese representatives signed the British-Sino Joint Declaration in 1984, authorizing the transition of Hong Kong’s sovereignty in the midnight of July 1st, 1997. Hong Kong citizens were excited that Hong Kong would finally return to its motherland. China wanted to show the world that the “One