(TibetanReview.net, Jun08, 2018) – A group of 67 Chinese scholars, activists, policy experts, journalists and individuals living mainly in the USA but also in the UK, Canada, Hong Kong, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Taiwan, and conceivably China itself have signed a letter to express solidarity with the Tibetan people on the latter’s Middle Way Approach of seeking autonomy within, not independence from, Chinese rule. And they have called on Beijing to resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama to resolve the issue, according to the Tibet.net, run by the Central Tibetan Administration, Jun 7.
The letter, titled as ‘Chinese stand in support and solidarity with the Middle Way Approach’, was stated to have been initiated by Professor Ming Xia, City University of New York, on May 20.
Calling the Middle Way Approach “a valuable proposal for solving the Tibet issue, promoting reconciliation between China and Tibet, and promoting democracy in China”, the letter expresses hope that “the Chinese government will cherish the wisdom and courage shown by the Dalai Lama and give a sincere response, seize the fleeting historical opportunity, restore negotiation with the Dalai Lama and his representatives and strive for the Dalai Lama and Tibetans to return to Tibet as soon as possible to jointly establish a free and peaceful Tibet that enjoys genuine autonomy.”
Not all Tibetans support the exile Tibetan’s official Middle Way Approach, however. A notable section among them, including the Tibetan Youth Congress, the largest grassroot exile Tibetan group, campaigns for the restoration of Tibet’s independence.
The independence campaigners do not, however, oppose Dalai Lama’s resolute stand in favour of autonomy as a compromise solution to the issue. And the Dalai Lama’s position is that Tibet, though historically independent, was now seeking a new start as a genuinely autonomous entity within the People’s Republic of China as a mutually beneficial solution.
China, being a one-party, totalitarian dictatorship do not tolerate any criticism of its rule and has always reacted to appeals and calls for democratic tolerance and political compromise with utmost hostility.
