Explained: China and Tibet

China and Tibet disagree over who governs Tibet. Although Tibet is referred to as an autonomous state, meaning it’s self-governed, many Tibetans feel as though they are still ruled directly by Beijing. China claims that it has a right to govern Tibet because Tibet has been part of the Chinese nation since the mid-thirteenth century. Tibet declared itself independent of China almost 100 years ago but then in 1950, under Chairman Mao’s orders, Chinese troops invaded eastern Tibet. In 1951 the nations signed the Seventeen Point Agreement in which China guaranteed Tibet autonomy in exchange for Chinese military and civil headquarters in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. In 1959, believing China was not keeping its side of the bargain, Tibetans staged a full-scale revolt, which resulted in thousands of deaths and the Dalai Lama (Tibet’s spiritual leader) was exiled. Since then, there have been a number uprisings by Tibetans opposed to Chinese rule.

In short, with great difficulty. The two sides are poles apart and a resolution looks extremely unlikely. Tibetans claim to want genuine autonomy, while China argues that Tibet and the Dalai Lama want total separation from China.

On November 19, 1950, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was enthroned as the spiritual and temporal ruler of Tibet. At the age of just 15, the Dalai Lama took on responsibility for Tibet and the following year he was negotiating the Seventeen Point Agreement with China. After the 1959 rebellion he was exiled to Dharamsala in India where he continued to push for Tibet’s autonomy. In 1989 he was rewarded for his efforts with the Nobel peace prize. The Dalai Lama has said he is not against China staging the 2008 Olympic Games.

According to the Free Tibet Campaign, Chinese has replaced Tibetan as the official language, long-term Chinese settlement in Tibet has been encouraged and Tibetans are a minority in some areas of their own land. It also claims that an estimated 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed by the Chinese since 1950, Chinese traders are favoured instead of Tibetan traders and that young people in Tibet are being re-educated about their cultural heritage with no reference to an independent Tibet.

The Dalai Lama is primarily responsible for keeping Tibet in the limelight. He’s known and recognised worldwide and has worked tirelessly for his cause, travelling across the globe to meet with world leaders and drum up support for Tibet.