The Real Crux of Sino-Tibetan Relations

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The Real Crux of Sino-Tibetan Relations

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For more than fifty years after the formal forcible annexation of Tibet to the People’s Republic of China, Tibetan leaders in exile operating in neighboring India have fought for the rights of Tibetans against a Chinese central government that has stubbornly resisted prodding and pressure from any and all advocates for a free Tibet; however, after a prolonged stalemate, change seems imminent and an ultimate resolution appears to lie not too far on the horizon. In September of 2004, an envoy of Tibetan leaders visited Beijing to discuss potential solutions that would grant Tibet special autonomy while remaining a part of China, marking the third visit by Tibetan officials to Beijing in the past two years (“Tibet’s Government”). With the Dalai Lama declaring publicly in recent years that he does not seek full independence for Tibet – he is instead calling for a Middle Way approach, which would give China control of Tibet’s military and foreign policy sphere and leave the other issues to be decided by Tibetans themselves – it seems a settlement is truly likely to take place.

Nevertheless, some Tibetan activists continue to protest the Chinese eradication of Tibetan culture since the forced takeover of 1951. These activists accuse China of invading Tibet and thereafter trying to mute the rich traditions of Tibetan culture through the destruction of monasteries, the planned migration of tens of thousands of ethnically Han Chinese to the region, restrictive birth policies, and etcetera. The Beijing government has fiercely rejected those charges, claiming that it helped to liberate Tibet from an impoverished era of political and economic backwardness by pouring in much needed financial investment into the region. In addition, the CCP has tried to portray Tibet as a historically integral part of China to convince the world of its rightful sovereignty over the region.

The liberal media in the west has documented well the claims of Tibetan exiles and advocacy groups for a free and independent Tibet, but it has focused its coverage on the cultural genocide of Tibet, while the more prominent issue that is raised in Tibetan exile literature is the economic marginalization of the Tibetan economy. This paper seeks to give a brief overview of the history of the Sino-Tibetan relationship, discuss the exaggerated charges of cultural genocide against Tibetan culture, highlight the more pressing issue of the deplorable economic and social conditions of Tibet, and explore what has been done on the part of the Chinese

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