Tibetan advocacy groups urge G7 leaders to raise Tibetan issue at summit

By Tenzin Nyidon

DHARAMSHALA, June 14: Tibetan advocacy groups have urged the leaders of the G7 nations to raise Tibet’s issue, including persistent and blatant violation of Tibetan people’s rights at the upcoming summit. In recent years, the Chinese government’s policies in Tibet have worsened drastically, leading to calls for intervention from international community by human rights organisations and advocacy groups.

The statement by advocacy groups condemned the Chinese government’s ongoing efforts under President Xi Jinping to eradicate the unique identity of the Tibetan people, marking over seven decades of what they describe as colonial occupation. It also pointed out that this situation represents one of the last vestiges of 20th-century colonialism.

Over the past 18 months, multiple UN human rights bodies have raised alarms about escalating human rights violations in Tibet, including the implementation of a colonial-style boarding school system. In January 2024, six out of the seven G7 governments emphasised the dire situation in Tibet during China’s UN human rights review. The advocacy groups urged the G7 to build on these concerns, stressing that as representatives of some of the world’s most powerful nations, G7 leaders have both the power and responsibility to address the Sino-Tibetan conflict and advocate for a lasting solution.

Tencho Gyatso of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) stated, “The previous rounds of Sino-Tibetan dialogue showed us that China responds to steady, persistent pressure. G7 leaders must understand that they have the power – and the responsibility – to apply this pressure. With one voice, world leaders must tell Beijing that a just resolution to the Tibet issue can only be reached through dialogue with the Tibetans.”

“Xi Jinping is showing few signs of reviewing its harsh policies in Tibet and Beijing has tightened its grip on public security with intensive restrictions on communications to cut Tibet off from the rest of the world, and this is exactly why it is so important for world leaders to take action – they cannot allow the situation in Tibet to simply be ignored,” Tenzin Yangzom of International Tibet Network (ITN) stated. 

The G7 is a forum with an annual summit to discuss economic policy and security issues. The members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.