Chinese officials yesterday defended their labor practices in Tibet, in the face of growing concerns about rights abuses in the region and Washington’s appointment of a senior official to scrutinize Tibetan affairs.
Tibet Governor Qi Zhala (齊扎拉) told a news conference in Lhasa that forced labor transfer “does not exist,” maintaining that the local government was focused on “increasing the idle workforce’s income through job-skills training.”
Qi, who was speaking about poverty-alleviation efforts, said that the Tibetan government had provided travel subsidies for people to work in other regions, and that they were free to come and go.
Photo: Reuters
The news conference came hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo named US Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Robert Destro as a special coordinator for Tibetan issues.
Destro is to be responsible for advancing dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama, and protecting the religious, cultural and linguistic identity of Tibetans, the US Department of State said.
The post had been vacant since January 2017, according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) at a daily news briefing in Beijing called the move to install Destro “political manipulation” meant to “interfere in China’s internal affairs and destabilize Tibet.”
Tibet and the neighboring region of Xinjiang have long endured intense social, security and religious controls, as China seeks to suppress what it calls “terrorist” and “separatist” elements.
Researcher Adrian Zenz last month released a report alleging that China was instituting a mass labor system in Tibet similar to the one in Xinjiang.
“The United States remains concerned with the PRC’s repression of the Tibetan community, including the lack of meaningful autonomy, the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibetan areas, and severe restrictions on Tibetans’ religious freedom and cultural traditions within China,” Pompeo said in a statement.
China’s policies toward Tibet have long been a subject of international dispute, with support for the region’s autonomy and the Dalai Lama often a bipartisan issue in Washington.
The US in July imposed travel restrictions on Chinese officials determined to be “substantially involved” in restricting access to Tibet.
‘UNFRIENDLY’: Changing the nationality listing of Taiwanese residents to ‘China’ goes against EU foreign policy as well as democratic and human rights principles, MOFA said Taiwan yesterday called on Denmark to correct its designation of the nationality of Taiwanese residents as “China” or face retaliatory measures. The Danish government in 2024 changed the nationality of Taiwanese citizens on their residence permits from “Taiwan” to “China.” The decision goes against EU foreign policy and contravenes democratic and human rights principles, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said. Denmark should present a solution acceptable to Taiwan as soon as possible and correct the erroneous designation to preserve the longstanding friendship between the two nations, Hsiao said. The issue could damage Denmark’s image and business reputation in Taiwan,
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
SUFFICIENT: The president said Taiwan has enough oil for next month, with reserves covering more than 100 days and natural gas enough for 12 to 14 days A restart plan for the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) would be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of the month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, reversing the government’s policy to abolish nuclear energy. On May 17 last year, Taiwan shut down its last nuclear reactor and became the first non-nuclear nation in East Asia, fulfilling the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s pledge of a “nuclear-free homeland.” Even without nuclear power, Taiwan can maintain a stable electricity supply until 2032,
DEROGATORY: WTO host Cameroon’s designation of Taiwan as a ‘province of China’ seriously undermines the nation’s status and rights as a WTO member, MOFA said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned Cameroon for listing Taiwan as “Taiwan, Province of China” in visa documents for an upcoming WTO ministerial conference, a move that led to Taiwan’s withdrawal from the event. The designation “seriously undermined” Taiwan’s status and rights as a WTO member, the ministry said in a statement. It is the first time since 2001 that Taiwan has declined to attend a WTO Ministerial Conference. The conference is scheduled to take place from Thursday to Sunday next week in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. Taiwan had planned to send a delegation led by Minister Without Portfolio
RSS