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UK Chancellor urged to raise Tibet issue during China visit

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Illustration/Phayul/Tsering Dhundup

Tsering Dhundup

DHARAMSHALA, Jan. 10: Ahead of UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ visit to China, UK-based Tibet groups and members of the Tibetan community have called on her to prioritise human rights concerns in Tibet during her discussions with Chinese officials.

The Chancellor is due to travel to China and hold meetings with Chinese officials on 11 January. Among those she will meet are  Vice-Premier He Lifeng. The visit is framed as a reset in economic ties between the two nations and follows a trip by Foreign Secretary David Lammy in October 2024.

In an open letter, UK-based Tibetans and Tibet groups voiced concerns about the visit, stating it comes at a “historic low point for human rights in Tibet”, which has seen Beijing’s destructive policies in Tibet intensify including forced relocations, mass displacement, and policies that United Nations experts have identified as potentially constituting forced labor. 

The groups underscored that over a million Tibetan children have been placed in residential schools, separated from their families, and that at least 2 million rural Tibetans, including nomads and farmers, have been displaced from their land.

The letter also drew attention to the destruction of Tibetan heritage through megadevelopment projects, such as hydropower dams and unregulated mining activities. These projects, they argue, are erasing Tibetan culture and livelihoods while consolidating China’s control over the region’s resources. The groups referenced the imprisonment of individuals like Tsongon Tsering, who was sentenced for reporting illegal mining, as an example of China’s suppression of dissent.

The signatories called on the Chancellor to address the recent earthquake in Dingri County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet which claimed over 126 lives and destroyed thousands of homes. Activists urged the Chancellor to press Chinese leaders to lift restrictions on access and aid, allowing international assistance to reach those affected without interference.

The groups called on Reeves to use the UK’s influence as a key trading partner to address these issues, warning against prioritising trade over human rights. They stressed that the meeting is an opportunity for the UK to demonstrate leadership by challenging China’s human rights record while negotiating trade agreements.

Statements from advocacy groups and community leaders echoed the letter’s concerns. John Jones of Free Tibet emphasised the need to address forced relocations and labour programs. Tara Lhamo from the Voluntary Tibetan Advocacy Group UK urged Reeves to uphold democratic principles over economic interests. Other representatives warned that failing to act could repeat past mistakes, referencing policies from the “Golden Era” of the 2010s, during which Tibet’s human rights situation worsened.

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