China hammers hard line on Tibet with warnings to Obama, Dalai Lama
| Beijing
China reasserted its tough stance on Tibet this week with warnings to both US President Barack Obama and representatives of the Dalai Lama.
On Tuesday it cautioned President Obama not to meet the Dalai Lama or 鈥渟eriously undermine the political foundations of Sino-US relations.鈥�
Such a meeting, which the White House says is planned, 鈥渨ould threaten trust and cooperation,鈥� said Zhu Weiqun, head of a Chinese government team that negotiated with representatives of the Dalai Lama over the weekend.
Mr. Zhu also gave a bleak assessment of the talks, which appear to have made no progress towards settling the future of Tibet. He said the two sides remained 鈥渟harply divided鈥� on a wide range of issues.
The Tibetan delegation continued to demand 鈥渁 high degree of autonomy鈥� in Tibetan-inhabited regions, Zhu said, which Beijing 鈥渟olemnly refuted.鈥�
These questions 鈥渁re crucial to Chinese territorial integrity and national dignity,鈥� he added. 鈥淭here is absolutely no room for negotiation or concessions on these issues.
Only if they completely give up these views could contacts and talks have a foundation.
Making countries 鈥榬ealize their mistakes鈥�
Though no date has been set for a meeting between Mr. Obama and the Dalai Lama, White House spokesman Mike Hammer said last month that 鈥渢he President has made clear to the Chinese government that we intend to meet with the Dalai Lama, it has been his every intention.鈥�
Obama did not meet the Tibetan leader when he visited Washington last year, for fear of souring the atmosphere before the president鈥檚 trip to China last November.
Zhu did not specify how Beijing would react to a meeting, but said China would take 鈥渃orresponding measures to make the relevant countries realize their mistakes.鈥�
Tibet talks: eight years, few results
Beijing鈥檚 apparent refusal to discuss anything with the Tibetan delegation other than the personal future of the Dalai Lama and his entourage 鈥渢akes the talks back to square one鈥� after nine fruitless rounds, says Elliot Sperling, a Tibet expert at Indiana University.
鈥淐hina is using the talks as a way to drag out the process until the Dalai Lama dies, when they believe the whole problem will go away,鈥� he argues. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think there is any point for the Tibetans in continuing the talks.鈥�
Other analysts are less pessimistic about prospects for the negotiations. 鈥淭he message the Chinese are sending is conditional,鈥� suggests Robbie Barnett, who teaches on Tibetan affairs at New York鈥檚 Columbia University. 鈥淚t鈥檚 that we might give you something if you meet our conditions鈥� such as stop meeting foreign leaders.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a heavy-handed squeeze attempt to get more concessions from the Tibetans,鈥� says Dr. Barnett. 鈥淎nd the reason they can do it is that the Dalai Lama needs to produce some results to please his domestic supporters.鈥�
Further negotiations likely
The Tibetan government in exile abandoned its demand for Tibetan independence in the face of considerable popular Tibetan opposition so as to seek a compromise autonomy solution with Beijing.
鈥淭he people in the government in exile are so invested in this policy that they cannot retreat,鈥� says Professor Sperling. 鈥淭hey said giving up independence would work, but nothing has come of it and they are stuck.鈥�
Tibetan negotiatior Lodi Gyari struck a more positive tone Tuesday, noting that a recent Chinese government conference on Tibet had acknowledged continuing poverty in Tibetan-populated areas of China, and called for new policies to boost farmers鈥� and herders鈥� living standards. Under a new approach, Beijing will put all Tibetan-populated areas under the same policy umbrella as the Tibet Autonomous Region itself.
鈥淚f we take away the political slogans, many of the issues that have been prioritized by the (conference) are similar to the basic needs of the Tibetan people outlined in our memorandum,鈥� said Mr. Gyari. 鈥淪o in order to have a common understanding of the real situation, we suggested a common effort to study the actual reality on the ground. This will help both sides to move beyond each others鈥� contentions.鈥�
Zhu made no mention of this proposal during his press conference earlier Tuesday. He said only that his Tibetan counterpart Gyari 鈥渟incerely looks forward to the next round of talks鈥� and said that China would 鈥渒eep the door open鈥� for further contacts, despite the lack of progress at the weekend.
鈥淲e want the negotiations to serve as a channel for the Dalai Lama to redress his mistakes,鈥� he said Tuesday.
[Editor's note: We incorrectly identified Elliot Sperling's university. It is Indiana University.]
