A Tibetan delegation led by the Dalai Lama’s Special Envoys, Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, left India on 29 June 2007 for a sixth round of the Sino-Tibetan dialogue. A proposal by the Dalai Lama to go for a pilgrimage in China is expected to be a central topic of the discussions.

This round of dialogue has raised particular expectations beforehand as it may well be the last one before the Olympic Games are held in Beijing in the summer of 2008. Many observers are convinced that it was the international spotlight of the Olympic Games which moved the Chinese authorities into resurrecting contact in September 2002. Opinions diverge however though as to what Beijing’s motivation is, and exactly what goals it is pursuing.

Jamie Williams Photography

While both sides expressed that they remained committed to the dialogue process, the Chinese authorities simultaneously increased their anti-Dalai Lama campaigns in Tibet.

Two Hands Are Needed To Clap
The Sino-Tibetan dialogue is fully supported by the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. In his annual 10 March statement in 2006, the Dalai Lama requested that Tibetans and their international supporters “work toward the creation of a conducive environment for negotiations”. The Tibetan Government-in-Exile even appealed to Tibetans and Tibet supporters to refrain from any activities, including demonstrations, that would cause embarrassment to China’s President, Hu Jintao, during his 2006 visit to the US, which coincided with a visit by the Dalai Lama.

In contrast, despite expressing commitment to the negotiation process, the Chinese government continue to campaign against the Dalai Lama in Tibet and around the world. The paranoia over the influence of the Dalai Lama on Tibetans can be seen in the statements of the Communist Party Chief in Tibet, Zhang Qingli, who spoke of a conspiracy by “international hostile forces” to “cause disorder in Tibet”. Zhang also spoke of the “Dalai-clique” stepping up “infiltrations” in Tibet. Disturbingly, Zhang also alluded to the abolition of Tibetan Buddhism when he stated that “due to specific historical and environmental factors”, religious influences are deep-rooted and “cannot be abolished in one day”.

Religious statue destroyed
Most recently, in May 2007, the Chinese government showed its ongoing refusal to accept ‘un-authorised’ religious activities by ordering the demolition of a near-complete giant religious statue at the Samye monastery. Lodi Gyari condemned destruction as a “divisive and sacrilegious act” causing “deep anguish” among Tibetans, and noted ironicly that, because the construction had united Tibetan Buddhist and Chinese Buddhist patrons, it was “nothing less than an act of splittism [by the Chinese authorities]”.