In an interview with FRANCE 24, the president of the Tibetan government-in-exile warned that Tibet is “dying a slow death”. Penpa Tsering said that Chinese government policies are aimed at the “eradication” of Tibetan identity. Among them, Tsering cited the policy of forcible schooling of some 1 million Tibetan children in what he described as “colonial-style boarding schools” in which the youngsters are separated from their families, taught only in Chinese and forced to pledge allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party.
Under Chinese President Xi Jinping, this policy of “uniculturalism” has “intensified”, Penpa claimed – be it in Tibet, Xinjiang or Hong Kong.
“We were wrong [to be hopeful about Xi Jinping]”, who had family ties to Tibet and even to the Dalai Lama, he said. Xi is instead “following [in] the steps of Mao Zedong”.
British author George Orwell’s dystopian fiction “1984” is “coming into reality in the whole of China, and more so in Tibet”, Penpa added.
Tibetans ‘feel betrayed’ by rest of world
The head of the Tibetan government-in-exile urged the world to “push China towards the negotiation table” with Tibet. “Unfortunately, most governments and politicians think only short-term for their economic benefit,” he added, saying that Tibetans “feel betrayed”.
Penpa confirmed there were no official talks with the Chinese authorities about granting autonomy to Tibet. “We do have back-channel [discussions], but nothing concrete to talk about,” the Tibetan politician said. He firmly rejected the idea of using violence to achieve Tibet’s goals, saying “the only way” to resolve the conflict is “through dialogue”.
Finally, regarding the succession of the Dalai Lama, he urged people to wait for 2025, when the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader may announce who will succeed him. He also warned Beijing against appointing its own successor: “I tell the Chinese government: do you need a problem that is going be lifelong? If there are two Dalai Lamas in the future, this is going to be lifelong and President Xi Jinping won’t be alive by that time.”