The Tibetan government-in-exile welcomed China's willingness for more talks with its envoys, but reiterated the conditions outlined in its last memorandum to Beijing.
“His Holiness the Dalai Lama is always ready to engage with the Chinese leadership to find a mutually acceptable solution to the problems of the Tibetan people,” Tibetan Government-in-Exile Prime Minister Samdhong Lobsam Tenzin, the Samdhong Rinpoche, said in a statement issued late on Saturday.
A memorandum of “genuine autonomy” for Tibet was presented to Beijing last October during the eighth round of talks with China.
“The memorandum clearly outlines the aspirations of the Tibetan people strictly within the constitutional principles of the People's Republic of China. Premier Wen Jiabao [溫家寶] appears to be trying to avoid acknowledging this document,” the statement said.
Chinese officials and envoys of the Dalai Lama — branded by Beijing as “splittist” — have held several rounds of talks, but little of substance has been achieved.
Wen said on Friday that China was open to more talks with envoys for the Dalai Lama as long as the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader renounced what Beijing described as separatism.
The Dalai Lama marked March 10, the 50th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule, with a speech calling for “meaningful autonomy” for Tibet in the north Indian town of Dharamsala, seat of his Tibetan government-in-exile.
The latest statement reiterated that the Dalai Lama was not seeking separation.
Thubten Samphel, a spokesman, said they would not negotiate on their core demands.
“These are our core demands. We will not dilute them, we will not climb down,” he said.
The Dalai Lama, “is not seeking separation” and hopes China will demonstrate sincerity in dealing with the region, the government-in-exile said.
Wen’s allegations that the Dalai Lama sought to separate Tibet from China were far from the truth, Rinpoche, said in a statement on the government-in-exile’s Web site late on Saturday. The international community is aware of the facts, which don’t need further clarification, the statement said.
The Dalai Lama is bidding to separate Tibet from China and the government won’t tolerate foreign interference, Wen said on Friday.
The comments came as US President Barack Obama called on China to renew talks with the Dalai Lama over the region’s future.
The US and human rights groups have stepped up pressure on China to change its policies in Tibet to coincide with this month’s 50th anniversary of the anti-Chinese uprising.
Rinpoche welcomed Wen's statement on continuing talks with the representatives of the Dalai Lama and said the Buddhist leader was always ready to engage with the Chinese leadership to find a mutually acceptable solution to the problems of the Tibetan people.
“A memorandum on genuine autonomy was presented to China on Oct. 31, last year, during the eighth round of talks,” Rinpoche said. “It outlines the aspirations of the Tibetan people strictly within the constitutional principles of China.”
Wen appears to be trying to avoid acknowledging this document by referring to some past statements by the Dalai Lama, Rinpoche said.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese