(TibetanReview.net, Jan01’25) –Both the exile Tibetan leadership and China have heaped praises on former US President Jimmy Carter following news of his death while under hospice care on Dec 29 at 100 years of age. The single-term (1977 to 1981), 39th US President from the Democratic Party was the longest-lived president in US history and celebrated his 100th birthday in Oct 2024.
In his condolence message Dec 30, the Dalai Lama said of the 2002 Nobel Peace laureate: “the Tibetan people and I remain ever grateful to President Carter for his deep interest in and concern for the situation in Tibet and for undertaking initiatives to help alleviate the plight of our people.”
Likewise, the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, said that Mr Carter “had shown deep concern on the plight of Tibetan people. His unwavering efforts in promoting peace, human rights and social development to the most needy globally, culminated in his receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize.”
The leadership and staff of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) held a prayer service on Dec 31 for Mr Carter as well as the 13th Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh, who had passed away on Dec 26.
At the service, the CTA’s officiating Sikyong, Mrs Tharlam Dolma Changra, said Mr Carter was a long-time supporter of the Tibetan cause, advocating for Tibetans’ rights and calling for a peaceful resolution to the Tibet-China conflict.
If the exile Tibetan leadership missed Mr Carter on his passing way, the Chinese leadership was no less aggrieved.
Expressing deep regret at his passing away, Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his message on Dec 30, called Mr Carter a promoter and decision-maker in the establishment of China-US diplomatic relations. He noted that the late US leader had long contributed to the development of bilateral ties, as well as the friendly exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.
China’s official Xinhua news agency also ran a commentary on Dec 31, saying the Chinese people will remember Carter for his historic contributions to the normalization of China-US relations and his consistent devotion to promoting mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.
Mr Carter established full diplomatic ties with China in Jan 1979 – which also meant severing formal relations with Taiwan – against the strong opposition he faced in the US Congress.
He completed the normalisation process begun by then President Richard Nixon who, through his visit to China in 1972, ended more than two decades of no communication or diplomatic ties with the communist country, noted a straitstimes.com commentary Dec 31.
Mr Carter had spoken about the value and importance of democracy in China without criticizing the Chinese government, the commentary said, referring to his visit to China in Sep 2003. In fact, he lauded the sweeping changes that had taken place since China started reforms in 1978 and the new openness in Chinese society.
His overly friendly rapprochement towards China was believed by some to be one reason why he failed to get re-elected in 1980.
While he did not visit China during his tenure in office, he did so more than 10 times in a span of nearly 30 years after that, the commentary noted.
His non-profit, The Carter Centre, which promotes peace, democracy and health worldwide, set up its China programme in the late 1980s to provide help in special education and to disabled people. The programme also focused on grassroots democracy from the late 1990s.