Chinese officials and envoys of the Dalai Lama have agreed to a second round of talks, China’s state-run media said yesterday, in an apparent sign of progress in easing tensions raised by violent anti-government riots in Tibet.
State TV and Xinhua news agency said that the first round of talks had ended after one day, but that no formal announcement was made.
CCTV said on its noon news broadcast that the two Tibetan envoys had to report back to the Dalai Lama in India and that both sides had “agreed to meet again at a suitable time.”
Xinhua said, however, that the Chinese officials had told the Dalai Lama’s envoys at their meeting on Sunday that the protests had spawned new obstacles to communication.
International critics have accused China of heavy-handed tactics in quelling the anti-government riots and protests in Tibet and Tibetan areas of western China.
Some specialists believe Beijing agreed to meet the envoys to defuse that criticism ahead of the Beijing Olympics in August.
The talks were held in Shenzhen, but neither side commented to a large group of foreign reporters waiting outside a palm tree-lined statehouse venue.
Xinhua said the Chinese officials “answered patiently” questions raised by the Dalai Lama’s envoys.
But even as the talks took place, China kept up its verbal attacks on the Dalai Lama.
“The central government hoped that to create conditions for the next round of contact and consultation, the Dalai side would take credible moves to stop activities aimed at splitting China, stop plotting and inciting violence and stop disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games,” Xinhua said.
The Dalai Lama has repeatedly said he was not behind the recent unrest and that his envoys planned to ask China to address the accusations, said Samdhong Rinpoche, prime minister of the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharamsala, India.
State media also accused the Dalai Lama of “monstrous crimes.”
“Following the March 14 incident in Lhasa, the Dalai has not only refused to admit his monstrous crimes, but he has continued to perpetuate fraud,” an article in yesterday’s state Tibet Daily said.
The article, which did not refer to Sunday’s talks, described the Dalai Lama’s demands for “genuine autonomy” in Tibet and the “greater Tibetan region” as fraudulent.
The “Dalai Clique” is trying to “confuse public opinion and incite ethnic hatred,” the article said.
The Dalai Lama’s attempt to realize a “greater Tibetan region is part of his attempt to split the motherland,” it said.
The English-language China Daily called the Tibetan Youth Congress, run by exiled Tibetans, a “terrorist organization” bent on separating Tibet from China.
The two envoys who held the talks with the Chinese officials will return to India today or tomorrow and would then brief the Dalai Lama, Tibetan officials said.
US President George W. Bush was one of the world leaders who had pressured China to restart negotiations to end the Tibetan crisis and the White House immediately welcomed their resumption.
“We hope discussions can lead to better understanding,” White House spokesman Tony Fratto said on Sunday.
China also put its choice for the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s second-highest figure, on state TV yesterday to praise the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
“I deeply pray for the successful holding of the Olympics. Under the leadership of the great Chinese Communist Party, Tibet will definitely become more prosperous, and lives of Tibetan people will become nicer and happier,” Gyaltsen Norbu said.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS