Abstract
The occupation of Tibet has failed to attract the attention that it deserves since China began what was promised by the PRC to be a peaceful coexistence between both governments. Hollywood has influenced the cause periodically through actor Richard Gere, in particular, and Columbia professor and Dalai Lama confidant, Robert Thurman. America has had to manage conflicts with Iraq and Afghanistan related to the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks. The international community has been pre- occupied with the HIV/AIDS crisis and now the COVID pandemic. China's central government saw an opportunity to seize the moment by absorbing Hong Kong, and is threatening an invasion of Taiwan. This leaves Tibet in the Indo Pacific on the outside looking in and in great need of assistance to maintain its culture.
Keywords: Tibet, Dalai Lama, Xi Jinping, UN Security Council, Authoritarianism
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A Word on Taiwan
As Xi Jinping's government consolidates power in East Asia and the Indo - Pacific, Taiwan is under direct attack by PLAAF (People's Liberation Army Air Force) to pressure Taiwanese President Tsai Ing- wen's democratically elected government to accept China's "One - China" policy and accept unification. Taiwan is a burgeoning, though, established democracy with it's own legal, political, and defence strata in place.
Taiwanese self identify by a considerable margin over those Taiwanese who consider themselves, Chinese. A Pew research poll from May 2021 concluded among variants, that 75% of Taiwanese looked more favourably on the U.S. compared to 23% that supported the mainland. Moreover, just 3 in 10 of Taiwanese (28%) see themselves as both Taiwanese and Chinese.1 Eric Cheung for CNN reports on 26.11.2021 that ..."since the Hong Kong protests broke out in 2019, more than 32% of respondents in Taiwan preferred a move toward formal "independence" -- twice as many as in 2018 -- according to a survey by Taiwan's National Chengchi University in June." In addition, "Fewer than 8% of respondents favored "unification" with mainland China, while most wanted to maintain the status quo -- an arrangement by which Taiwan remains self-ruled, without an official declaration of independence."2
Of course, the central government across the Taiwan Strait would love nothing more than to bring Taiwan to heel and into China's orbit as they have with Hong Kong in 2020. Xinjiang Province where the Uyghur's are being held in mass concentration camp - like facilities to eradicate Muslim extremism, according to Chinese officials, is another flashpoint that is getting a lot of negative attention in the international community who oppose a belligerent Chinese central government. A 2019 Pew poll found that 7 of 10 of respondents in six countries (Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, India and Indonesia) in the Asia - Pacific region have more favourable views of the U.S. than mainland China. Since the Chinese occupation of Tibet , Tibetan's are caught by an influx on Han Chinese from the mainland, who receive preferential treatment in government postings, business opportunities, and academic seats. Tibet's cultural way of life is being vanquished from Chinese officials on the Tibetan Plateau who ascribe to a secular way of life. Much to the chagrin of Chinese officials, a new generation of Tibetans are responding with their own protest movement against the loss of their culture to China's pro- business mandate within Tibet.
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March 10 is Tibetan Uprising Day and is now into the 63rd year since The Dalai Lama escaped Tibet amidst Chinese forces clamping down and occupying Tibet. That China has veto rights as a P5 member of the UN Security Council illustrates a major shortcoming of the UN's main purpose -- protecting individual rights and freedoms. / continues unabated by the international community or the UN. Ironically, the UN - a symbol of collective security has failed to provide Tibetans with a reasonable measure of protection. So much so, that reports indicate that over one million Tibetans have lost their lives during China's occupation.
My argument is for an expanded P5 of the UN Security Council. The same five members control whether resolutions are passed: United Stated, United Kingdom, France, Russia and China. One of these members only need to exercise their veto on a resolution against them to scurry dialogue. However, the international community will operate outside this vessel to punish those members who are in violation of human rights issues etc. The SC would be more representative if it expanded to 15 permanent members. A threshold of 60% - 70% will allow for resolutions to be defeated without too much negotiation. China will try to buy votes through trade practises and other P15 members will need to use this tactic to extract reparations from the central government vis a vis trade, human rights, or financial settlements. Consider the COVID issue and China's culpability in the pandemic where over five milion lives have been lost. And counting!
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A Sidelight to Authoritarianism in China
Leopoldo Lopez November 11 2011
Lopez was incarcerated for two years in a 6 x 6 prison cell as a poitical prisoner who opposed Nicolas Maduro's Venezuelan dictatorship.
Many ask why Maduro is still in power, despite massive and ongoing protests. The truth is that he's in power because he's a dictator, and his regime's response has been the same as others: repression and incarceration, the dictator's recipe to hold on to power. Perhaps we need to understand that authoritarianism is a global phenomenon. Dictators, in fact, understand this very well. They form political allegiances to protect each other internationally and have developed a transnational repression policy in order to persecute those who oppose them. This is a global problem, and its solution should be global as well. To achieve democratic change in Venezuela, we must be part of a larger, globally organized effort. This idea is what convinced me to risk my life to escape from my country last year to resettle in Spain: A desire to be part of an international front that would help not only the people of Venezuela, but all those who live under authoritarian regimes.3
The difference between China and Venezuela is trade. Before China entered the WTO in 2002 a decoupling from trade with China would have been far less problematic; nation states could purchase goods elsewhere, particularly, as globalisation and free trade were expanding their influence in major markets. It is one thing to oppose an authoritarian regime in Venezuela that has little strategic influence outside central and south America. Quite another to confront a regime such as China's built around one party rule and that is an international trade juggernaut with a labour force of 770,950, 792 according to World Bank figures.4
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As Chinese authorities threaten those countries who begin to recognise Taiwan, in one case, the European Union has set aside a trade agreement with China -- Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) in response to counter sanctions that China placed on EU officials over the EU's opposition to the detention of Uyghur's in Xinjiang province. Ironically, Chinese authorities have painted The Dalia Lama as a "wolf in sheeps clothing" and as a "splittist" and "separatist." These are convenient accusations to strengthen the CPC's message to foment nationalist fervour on the mainland. China is experiencing weaker economic demand at home, energy shortages, and an ageing population. The post COVID world looks much more challenging for individuals to navigate, though, most in the developed world now face the duality of high inflation and a pending rise in interest rates.
The Dalai Lama fired a warning shot on November 10 when he said "Regarding Tibet and also Xinjiang, we have our own unique culture, so the more narrow-minded Chinese Communist leaders, they do not understand the variety of different cultures." He added there is too much control by Han Chinese.
Furthermore, if we look at Chinese authorities "wolf warrior" diplomacy measures vis a vis labour forces with Canada, in particular, the same World Bank report indicates a Canadian labour force of 20, 457,47. Considering the "hostage diplomacy" of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig in the Meng Wanzhou American bank fraud case, China clearly operates under the "height makes might" strategy in international relations. But, digging a bit deeper, Chinese citizens have embraced the strength of the CPC and how it relates to security on all levels and the need for nationalist rhetoric for the regime to sustain itself. History displays the footage of authoritarian regimes parading their newest arms to bolster nationalist sentiment that reassures their citizens that security from potential invading forces is of paramount importance for state officials. See North Korea, China and the FSU (Former Soviet Union) regarding a show of force for their domestic audience and adversaries.Fascism under Hitler, Italy with Mussolini, and Franco of Spain dominated domestic politics with a show of force. In addition, the Islamic Revolution in Iran under the Ayatollah Khomeini and his successors showcasing military capabilities, but, also, public executions to reinforce in the public minds, the power of the state. There is a muted response from the Saudi Kingdom, though, that may be due to the need to present a gentler image as an integral supplier of energy products to the international community, and also to attract arms to quash rebel forces such as the Yemeni Houthis.
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Conversely, and perhaps matter of factly, for typical authoritarian regimes, it is unwise to speak out against the government and not expect reprisals, given the nature and credibility of the individual lodging those complaints. Witnesses to China fumbling the COVID 19 protocols speak out in hiding -outside of the mainland. Washington Post columnist and Saudi critic, Jamal Khashoggi was systematically kidnapped, murdered and dismembered in a Saudi embassy in Istanbul on October 2 2018 . Tibetan dissidents within Tibet and China face censure and harassment if echoing views criticising the central government. China, no doubt, employs the "Great Firewall of China" to contain movement of information reinforcing their position to state control over basic human rights such as freedom of speech. Tashi Wangchuk, a Tibetan businessman who advocated for sustaining Tibetan culture through a series of interviews with the New York Times was charged in 2016, sentenced in 2018, and released from prison this year after serving a five year prison sentence.
Canada has failed to reign in Chinese influence through Confucius Institutes that operate to expand Chinese culture apart from the mainland, that operate under the auspices of authoritarianism to promote its apparent strength to the international community. Chinese officials have been vocal about their success in containing the outbreak of COVID with a zero percent COVID toleration policy. Recently, officials in Jiangxi province entered the home of a home owner who was in quarantine and beat her pet dog - a Corgi, to death with a crowbar they suspected of having COVID.
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China's Illegal Occupation of Tibet Centered Around Breaching These Four Points (re. 17 Point Agreement):
4.The central authorities will not alter the existing political system in Tibet. The central authorities also will not alter the established status, functions and powers of the Dalai Lama. Officials of various ranks shall continue to hold office.
7.The policy of freedom of religious belief as laid down in the common program shall be carried out. The religious beliefs, customs and habits of the Tibetan people shall be respected, and lama monasteries shall be protected. The central authorities will not effect a change in the income of the monasteries.
11.In matters relating to various reforms in Tibet, there will be no compulsion on the part of the central authorities. The local government of Tibet shall carry out reforms of its own accord, and, when the people raise demands for reform, they shall be settled by means of consultation with the leading personnel of Tibet
13. The PLA entering Tibet shall abide by all the aforementioned policies, and shall also be fair in all commerce, and shall not arbitrarily take a needle or thread from the people.
So, where do Tibetan's fit into this COVID world that Hobbes might describe as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." The state of nature has changed considerably inside Tibet since the occupation of Tibet began in 1949.
In December 2020, U.S Congress passed the Tibet Policy and Support Act (TPSA) that advocates for stronger relations between Tibet and the United States and the opening of a U.S. consulate in Lhasa before any new Chinese consulates can be opened in the U.S. Most importantly, the Act "guarantees support to non-governmental organizations who work towards supporting Tibetan communities. It also reauthorizes the Office of the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues and further expands its duties by now including additional tasks, such as “pursuing international coalitions to ensure that the next Dalai Lama is appointed solely by the Tibetan Buddhist faith community."
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Ultimately, the international community is coming to the realisation that it has to hold China's "feet to the fire" regarding human rights including freedom of speech, environmental policies (China is still opening new coal plants,) and spurning infrastructure agreements that further bolster authoritarianism within China's orbit. Having China comply with the rules - based international order is a daunting task under Xi; however, with like minded democracies collaborating to counter Beijing's belligerence, democracy can continue to flourish.
Conclusion
Chinese authorities breached the "17 Point Agreement" with the Tibetan government, so much so, that The Dalai Lama fled for India after a failed uprising on March 341, 1959. University of Massachusetts among other agencies report that 1.2 million Tibetans have died during the occupation. In addition, over six thousand monasteries have been demolished. Moreover, the International Campaign For Tibet reports that 157 Tibetans have self immolated sine 2009 due to severe oppression of their cultural rights and freedoms. Therefore, to be a Tibetan within Tibet is to be under constant surveillance and prone to arrest for simply having a picture of the Dalai Lama in your home. Also, Han Chinese are given priority for government positions, business contracts, and receive a stronger sense of toleration from Chinese officials. The struggle has intensified during the period of Xi Jinping who has embraced Chinese nationalist policies.
"The reality is quite plain" the 'end of the era of nationalism,' so long prophesied, is not remotely in sight. Indeed, nation-ness is the most universally legitimate value in the political life of our time."5
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1. "In Taiwan, Views of Mainland China Mostly Negative." KAT DEVLIN AND CHRISTINE HUANG. 12 May 2020. 14 November 2021. <https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/05/12/in-taiwan-views-of-mainland-china-mostly-negative/>.
2."Why wiping out Hong Kong's opposition may have cost China a whole generation in Taiwan." 26 November 2021. 26 November 2021. <https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/26/asia/taiwan-hong-kong-china-opposition-intl-hnk-dst/index.html>.
3."What I learned about freedom from a 2x2 Venezuelan prison cell." Lopez, Leopoldo. 11 November 2021. 14 November 2021. <https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/11/opinions/venezuela-democracy-loss-freedom-lesson-lopez/index.html>.
4.Labor force, total (China.) The World Bank. 15 June 2021. 17 November 2021. <https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.TOTL.IN?locations=CN>.
5. Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities. Verso: London. 2006.
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