Australia Tibet Council (ATC) has urged the Prime Minster and Foreign Minister to discuss the future of Tibet with visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping. Specifically, ATC has argued that Xi Jinping, the man almost certain to succeed Hu Jintao as President of China, must be encouraged to use his influence to progress the currently stalled dialogue between the Chinese Government and the Dalai Lama.

While recently overshadowed in the Australian media by the Stern Hu case, the visit of Rebiya Kadeer, the failed Chinalco bid and Google’s challenges to China’s Internet censorship, Beijing itself has elevated Tibet to a “core issue”, according it equal importance to Taiwan.

“With Australia’s economic future increasingly dependent on China’s longterm stability and prosperity, skillful diplomacy over Tibet is of critical importance,” said Paul Bourke, Executive Officer of the Australia Tibet Council. “The Prime Minister would do well to recall a statement from his party’s own manifesto: ‘Effective human rights diplomacy supports international and regional security and is in Australia’s national interest’.”

Longterm Chinese Government policy failures in Tibet, including ongoing cultural repression and the heavy-handed response to 2008’s unrest, have fanned tensions and remain a constant threat to stability.

Tibet is situated between India and China, for centuries a buffer between the two rising giants of Asia. It is the source of almost all Asia’s great rivers. China has been accused of environmental mismanagement and unsustainable development on the Tibetan Plateau and of having little regard for the consequences for the populous countries downstream.

Xi Jinping is the top-ranking member of the Communist Party secretariat, China’s Vice President, Principal of the Central Party School (the training ground for Communist Party officials) and the sixth ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee (China’s de facto top power organ). He is expected to succeed Hu Jintao as President in 2013.

Xi Jinping is travelling with a delegation of 250 business leaders and will address an all-day economic forum in the Great Hall of Parliament House today (Monday), organized by the Australia-China Business Council. He is also expected to meet the Prime Minister today.

For further information and comment:
Paul Bourke, Executive Officer, Australia Tibet Council - (02) 9283 3466