Chinese authorities have announced they will resume formal dialogue with representatives of the Dalai Lama in ‘early July’ but are yet to give a precise date. However, recent statements by government officials, including during Sunday’s announcement, give little hope that Beijing is about to soften its stance on Tibet or enter into a more substantive round of dialogue.

Time is running out. The Australian Government must actively support the Tibet-China dialogue. Send an urgent email to Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.

With little more than a month before the opening of the Olympics and with nearly two months having passed since the agreement to hold a seventh round of formal dialogue was first announced, it is increasingly clear that Chinese authorities are using delaying tactics to avoid meaningful talks on the future on Tibet before the Olympics.

A peaceful resolution to the Tibetan situation requires more than the tokenistic dialogue we have witnessed since 2002. It requires a time-bound process of substantive formal negotiations with the full and sustained support of the international community.

Read the full AFP story: “Tibet-China talks to resume in early July” (30 June 2008)