News and Views on Tibet

Senior Chinese official says no negotiations with Tibet till year end

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DHARAMSHALA, September 2: A senior Chinese official has said that the stalled Sino-Tibet dialogue process will not resume at least till the end of this year and denied any new approach to the Tibetan issue.

Xu Zhitao, an official with the United Front Work Department, the main office that has represented China in the nine rounds of talks with Tibetan envoys since 2002, insisted that in the event of the continuation of the dialogue process, the discussion will only centre on how the Dalai Lama should “stop his separatist speeches and win the trust of the central government as well as the forgiveness of the Chinese people.”

“China will continue to be flexible with the Dalai Lama, but it seems that no result will come out if he does not change his attitude toward some fundamental issues,” Xu was quoted s saying by the Chinese state-run Global Times. “The so-called autonomy of Tibet the Dalai Lama claims to be seeking is actually the independence of Tibet, which is definitely forbidden.”

The Tibetan spiritual leader, in a recent interview with Reuters had spoken about “very encouraging signs” of leniency from the next generation of Chinese leaders on the issue of Tibet after meeting with of “visitors from China” claiming to have connections with senior officials of the Communist Party of China.

Xu categorically denied “any such recent visits.”

Speaking to reporters in June, the Dalai Lama had expressed hope that Chinese leadership will take a new and different approach under its new president.

Xi Jinping, China’s vice-president and son of Xi Zhongxun, one of the most liberal leaders of the Chinese revolution, who was known to have had a less hardline approach to Tibet, is certain to take over the reins from Hu Jintao next year.

“I hope Mr Xi Jinping, a new leader, new blood, looks in a more open, realistic way,” the Dalai Lama had said.

Amidst the ongoing wave of self-immolations in Tibet, the Dalai Lama’s Special Envoy Gyari Lodi and Envoy Kalsang Gyaltsen resigned in June this year.

The two Envoys cited the deteriorating situation inside Tibet and their “utter frustration” over the lack of positive response from the China as reasons for their decision.

“Given the deteriorating situation inside Tibet since 2008 leading to the increasing cases of self-immolations by Tibetans, we are compelled to submit our resignations,” Gyari and Gyaltsen said in their resignation letter.

The last round of talks between the Envoys of the Dalai Lama and representatives from the Chinese United Front Work Department was held more than two and a half years ago in January 2010. Since then, the Chinese have refused to meet the Tibetan delegation.

The dialogue process has failed to yield much result, with the former Envoys repeatedly stating that large differences still remained on “fundamental issues”.

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