Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, May 23: On the 74th anniversary of the controversial Seventeen-Point Agreement, a panel discussion was held in Dharamshala to revisit the historical and political implications of the document that marked a turning point in Tibet’s modern history.
Organized by the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Dharamshala, the discussion brought together a panel of experts including Dr. Tsewang Topla, senior lecturer at Sarah College, Tenzin Lekshay, spokesperson for the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), exile activist Tenzin Tsundue, and Dr. Lobsang Yangtso, researcher at the International Tibet Network.
Dr. Tsewang Topla provided a historical overview of the Seventeen-Point Agreement, outlining its context and the events leading up to its signing. Central Tibetan Administration spokesperson Tenzin Lekshay emphasized that this agreement remains the sole document China has consistently used to justify its claim over Tibet.
Exile activist Tenzin Tsundue addressed the politicisation of the agreement, noting that while China initially portrayed it as a “peaceful liberation” that promised religious freedom, language rights, and environmental protection, these commitments have been repeatedly violated by the People’s Republic of China. Dr. Lobsang Yangtso drew parallels between the agreement and military occupation, citing the deployment of nearly 500,000 Chinese troops in Tibet and questioning the need for such a massive military presence if the agreement was indeed peaceful.
The panel discussion as a whole focused on the importance of consistently challenging China’s narrative surrounding the Seventeen-Point Agreement. Speakers emphasized the need to expose the ongoing violations of the agreement’s original promises, particularly the assurances of genuine autonomy, religious freedom, and the preservation of Tibetan language, culture, and identity.
Signed under duress on May 23, 1951, the Seventeen-Point Agreement officially titled the Agreement of the Central People’s Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet was imposed on Tibetan representatives by the People’s Republic of China. The agreement is frequently cited by the Chinese government as the legal basis for its claim over Tibet, despite long-standing rejection by the Tibetan government-in-exile and the broader exile community, who argue that it lacks legal validity due to coercion.
The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, formally repudiated the Seventeen-Point Agreement in 1959 after fleeing to India, during a statement made in Tezpur. In his 1991 autobiography Freedom in Exile, he wrote, “The so-called Seventeen-Point Agreement was imposed on us by threats of violence and was never valid under international law.” From a legal standpoint, any agreement signed under coercion or threat of force is considered invalid under international law, as outlined in Article 52 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
One Response
The so called “Seventeen Point Treaty” was actually an international treaty between the sovereign Government of Tibet and newly minted Chinese Communist PRC. However, since Tibet was weak it was at the mercy of the Chinese communist imperialists and they coined words like “Tibet local Tibetan Government”, instead of Government of Tibet, “seventeen point agreement” instead of “seventeen point treaty” to suit its evil design! Tibet has been an independent nation since the inception of the nation in 127 BC. It had a spiritual relationship with the Mongol and Manchu rulers when China was under foreign occupation! The spiritual relationship was purely religious and had no political connotation whatsoever nor there was any subordination of either party to each other. However, the Manchu’s and Chinese deliberately misrepresented and laid claims over Tibet. This is succinctly exposed by none other than Lord Curzon, the British Viceroy of India in these words: “CHINA’S SOVEREIGNTY OVER TIBET IS A CONSTITUTIONAL FICTION-A POLITICAL AFFECTATION WHICH HAS ONLY BEEN MAINTAINED BECAUSE OF ITS CONVENIENCE TO BOTH PARTIES”. This is the reason why, the British never recognised Chinese sovereignty over Tibet until 2008 just before the China-Tibet talks by then British foreign minister David Miliband. Tibet was forced to sign the treaty by the threat of war against a peaceful nation totally unprepared for conflict. The Chinese had to force the Tibetans to sign on the dotted line because the INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION FORBIDS AGGRESSION TOWARDS NEIGHBOURING STATES AND TIBET WAS A FUNCTIONING INDEPENDENT STATE WITH COMPLETE CONTROL OVER ITS TERRITORY, LEADERSHIP, GOVERNMENT, ARMY, CURRENCY, POSTAL SERVICE AND TREATIES WITH NEIGHBOURING NATIONS SUCH AS BRITISH INDIA, NEPAL AND MONGOLIA! UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW, IF A TREATY IS ACQUIRED UNDER THE THREAT OF FORCE, THE VICTIM STATE NEVER LOSES THE RIGHT TO DECLARE ITS INVALIDITY WHICH THE DALAI LAMA DID BY DECLARING IT NULL AND VOID AT TEZPUR ON THE INDO-TIBET BORDER IN 1959! That is why, Tibet is an independent nation under international law despite Chinese occupation for the last seven decades. The Chinese communists have forced other countries to insert Tibet in the so called “one China” policy to legitimatise the illegal occupation of Tibet. It has used its diplomatic reach to legalise the occupation of Tibet through its propaganda channels and diplomatic offices to coerce other countries to recognise Tibet as part of China. India which is Tibet’s historical neighbour and kept India safe from foreign invasion for centuries made a monumental mistake by endorsing Chinese baseless claims over Tibet despite the fact that, Great Britain, its colonial power never recognised Chinese sovereignty over Tibet! Today, it is facing the greatest challenge to its national security with two hostile nuclear neighbours joined at the hip breathing down its neck. There is no doubt that even the most staunch China supporter in India realises the astounding error India’s leaders made in inviting communist China to be the next door neighbour in the aftermath of Chinese invasion and subsequent occupation of Tibet. With Bangladesh gone rogue against India even though it was liberated by India in 1971 with Tibetan commandoes, India finds itself surrounded by hostile neighbours just like Israel. Until now, India has only helped Tibet on humanitarian ground, nothing more nothing less. If India wants to avoid the strangulation by China friendly neighbours who are working in China’s favour at the expense of India’s national security, something has to give. China will relentlessly push its agenda just as it is pushing across the Indo-Pacific especially in Tonga where local officials fear of Chinese domination of their country! The Taiwan issue will decide the fate of communist China. It will never give up on Taiwan and the expectation is it will attack sometime before 2047 when it can muster enough courage. The US has pivoted to Asia since the Obama administration. Today, it has concentrated its military machine in the Indo-Pacific region in order to thwart any Chinese military adventure on Taiwan. In the event of war with US and its allies, it is near impossible for China to win especially if it drags on like the Russia Ukraine war. Owing to western sanctions, the Chinese economy will suffer significantly. Inside communist China, there is no appetite for war against Taiwan. Besides, things are rather bad that, very few have much love lost for the CCP. There is CCP fatigue. Xi is getting old and some claim he is just a figure head now. Therefore, outwardly, the CCP is painting a nice picture of China but the reality is different.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru has however said on December 7th 1950: : IT IS NOT RIGHT FOR ANY COUNTRY TO TALK ABOUT ITS SOVEREIGNTY OVER AN AREA OUTSIDE ITS OWN IMMEDIATE RANGE . THAT IS TO SAY, SINCE TIBET IS NOT THE SAME AS CHINA, IT SHOULD ULTIMATELY BE THE WISHES OF THE TIBETAN PEOPLE THAT SHOULD PREVAIL NOT ANY LEGAL OR CONSTITUTIONAL ARGUMENTS. THE LAST VOICE IN REGARD TO TIBET SHOULD BE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE OF TIBET AND NOBODY ELSE. India should be more proactive in the affairs of Tibet and make it a policy to liberate Tibet so the historical buffer between China and India is re-instated that will take away the huge burden of patrolling the high Himalayas and avoid the nexus of China and Pakistan to the detriment of India’s national security. It should support the Tibetan Government in its effort to install the next Dalai Lama which is extremely important for the security of the high Himalayas who are very devoted to the present Dalai Lama. INDIA MUST LEND ITS FULL SUPPORT AND MAKE SURE THAT THE NEXT DALAI LMA IS FIRMLY ENSCONCED IN DHARAMSALA AGAIN.
Surely, if communist China could help Pakistan to move satellites and recalibrate its air defence systems to shoot down Indian fighter jets, why can’t India help the Tibetans to make Tibetan independence movement more vibrant by training young Tibetans and supporting the exile Government to expand its activities across India and around the world in order to initiate a long term policy of restoring Tibet’s independence?