From March 4 to 11, China held its annual “two sessions”: the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. The meeting is a platform where China announces major plans and priorities for the coming years.
Given growing concerns over the Tibet issue and China-India border tensions, the annual gathering is crucial to understanding Beijing’s plans and priorities. On March 24, the Tibet Autonomous Region presented a work report containing comprehensive details about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the government agenda under the 14th Five-Year Plan and goal for 2035.
The government set four key agenda under the new five-year plan: ensure national security and regional stability; boost national income; ecological protection; and consolidation of border security and defense. Among the four, the first, second and fourth are of particular concern.
To ensure national security and regional stability, the government’s targets include Tibetan religion and religious institutions, language and history. Under the policy of Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism, the government would implement religious affairs regulation, including the enrolment of monks and nuns in monastic institutions, a monastic education system, management of people engaged in religious activities on the Internet, and management of reincarnation. This regulation would intensify suppression of religious freedom.
The work report also emphasizes promoting a “strong sense of Chinese nationalism.” To this end, the government plans to expand propaganda work at the grassroots level, including the establishment of culture, radio, film, art and media centers in cities (prefectures) and counties (districts).
It also announced the establishment of 18 Putonghua proficiency stations to strengthen the compulsory Mandarin learning policy. Tibetan religion and language are the key targets to maintain stability and promote “a sense of Chinese nationalism” in Tibetan areas. The situation in Tibetan areas is likely to grow even more regressive, including the right to practice the Tibetan language and religious freedom.
One of the growing concerns in the wake of China’s massive investment and tourism-driven development plan is the marginalization of the local Tibetan economy. For example, in 2015, there were 150 registered tourist agencies in Lhasa, but only 20 were owned by Tibetans, an unidentified tourist agency said. Moreover, in 2009, although Tibetans form the majority of the population in most Tibetan areas, they own only about 20 percent of businesses, professor Wang Shiyong said.
Under the 14th Five-Year Plan, the government said that income in the tourism and construction sectors would boom — industries in which Chinese migrants dominate. Expansion of these two sectors would attract more Chinese migrants and consequently increasingly marginalize the Tibetan economy.
Regarding border defense, the government laid down several comprehensive targets and agenda to send a clear message to India. The work report can be interpreted as an early warning for India regarding China’s strategic encirclement at the border.
To this end, the party aims to adhere to the deployment of troops, and enhance the strategic, military and defense resources and mechanisms at the border.
Second, the five-year plan would continue to expand the construction of a border defense village, which started in 2015, including increasing subsidies to expand the population. With the expansion of the border defense village, the government plans to promote border tourism, which would play a crucial role in the national integration of the border area.
Third, local people at the border would play a significant role in strengthening border security and defense through civil-military cooperation.
And fourth is the expansion of infrastructure development, including airports, railways, highways and roads across Tibet.
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), China has not shied away from touting its wolf warrior diplomacy. The new five-year plan outlines a clear vision of encirclement of the border area with India, and Tibetan assimilation into the larger Chinese population.
Over the past decades, Tibetans in exile have accused China of the Sinicization of Tibetan culture and history. China’s “Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism,” which is the core of Tibet’s identity and history, has raised serious concerns. Under the 14th Five-Year Plan, the CCP is set to maintain a rigid grip on the Tibetan population and aims to bring about a significant transformation that would have a significant impact on the Tibet issue in the coming years.
On April 11, Tibetans in exile and diaspora across Europe and the US held the final round of an election for the next sikyong (political leader). Amid the growing concern over the Dalai Lama’s age and China’s aggressive policies and priorities, the new sikyong is faced with the tough challenge of holding negotiations with his Chinese counterpart, enhancing global support for the Tibet issue and sustainable development of the exiled community.
Dolma Tsering is a dissertation fellow at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy and a doctoral candidate at the Chinese Division of the Center for East Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
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