In April 1992, the Chinese Ambassador in New Delhi contacted Gyalo Thondup and told him that the Chinese Government’s position in the past had been “conservative”, but that it was willing to be “flexible” if the Tibetans were prepared to be “realistic”. He invited Thondup to visit Beijing once again. But when Thondup met the Chinese leaders in Beijing in June 1992, he was treated to a litany of accusations against His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He did not hear anything signalling flexibility in Beijing’s stand.

His Holiness felt that the accusations indicated the Chinese leadership’s lack of understanding of his views and stand on the Tibetan issue. His Holiness, however, renewed his efforts to open dialogue by sending a personal letter and a detailed memorandum to Chinese leaders, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, in September 1992, reiterating his preparedness to accommodate China’s interest and calling for negotiations. At the end of that memorandum His Holiness stated: “The time has come now for the Chinese to show the way for Tibet and China to live together in friendship. A detailed step-by-step outline regarding Tibet’s basic status should be spelt out. If such a clear outline is given, regardless of the possibility or non-possibility of an agreement, we Tibetans can then make a decision whether to live with China or not. If we Tibetans obtain our basic rights to our satisfaction, then we are not incapable of seeing the possible advantages of living with the Chinese.”

His Holiness also decided to dispatch a three-member delegation to China to clarify his views. Beijing accepted only two members of this delegation. In June 1993 the delegates discovered in Beijing that the Chinese leadership’s hardline attitude towards His Holiness had remained unchanged.

On 4 September 1993, His Holiness the Dalai Lama issued a brief press statement and released to the press the text of his letters to Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin. His Holiness once again unequivocally called on the Chinese government “to start negotiations without delay and preconditions”. His Holiness reiterated the Tibetan willingness to negotiate a “reasonable and just solution within the framework formulated by Mr. Deng Xiaoping” and clarified: “I have never called for negotiations on independence of Tibet.” On numerous occasions since then, His Holiness made clear that he was not seeking independence, but “genuine autonomy for Tibet within the framework of the Chinese Constitution.” This stand His Holiness most recently reiterated in the 10 March 2005 statement: “I once again want to reassure the Chinese authorities that as long as I am responsible for the affairs of Tibet we remain fully committed to the Middle Way Approach of not seeking independence for Tibet and are willing to remain within the People’s Republic of China.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s tireless efforts were amply recognized with the award of the 1989 Nobel Prize for peace. Many other awards were bestowed on the Tibetan leader, but the Nobel Prize and the overwhelming reaction to it demonstrated the international community’s recognition and support for His Holiness’ steadfast commitment and activities in pursuit of a peaceful negotiated solution to the suffering of the Tibetan people.

On 27 June 1998, US President Bill Clinton and President Jiang Zemin held a live televised joint press conference in Beijing. During this TV appearance  broadcast worldwide  Clinton asked Jiang to open dialogues with the Dalai Lama. Jiang replied, “As long as the Dalai Lama makes a public commitment that Tibet is an inalienable part of China and Taiwan is a province of China, then the door to dialogue and negotiation is open.” The Taiwan issue surfaced this time as a new pre-condition to negotiation.

Then again, in a written interview to the French daily, Le Figaro, on 25 October 1999 President Jiang Zemin repeated all the earlier pre-conditions and added: “The Dalai Lama must truly give up his advocacy of independence of Tibet and stop his activities to split the motherland; and declare the Government of People’s Republic of China is the legitimate government representing whole China.”