China vents spleen on Dalai Lama over US reciprocal access to Tibet Act

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His Holiness the Dalai Lama. (Photo courtesy: Belfast Telegraph)
His Holiness the Dalai Lama. (Photo courtesy: Belfast Telegraph)

(TibetanReview.net, Dec21, 2018) – China has not only published commentaries but also reports on those commentaries to severely malign Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, as the United States enacted on Dec 19 a law requiring it to provide reciprocal access to occupied Tibet region.

The 14th Dalai Lama is the prime culprit of separatist political groups pursuing “Tibet independence,” the loyal tool of international anti-China forces, the root cause of riots in Tibet, the biggest obstacle for Tibetan Buddhism to establish normal order and a politician under the disguise of religion, China’s official globaltimes.cn Dec 20 cited those articles as saying.

The report said the justice department of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) had posted three articles on its WeChat account from Dec 17 to 19. It added that these articles were first published on the front page of the regional party mouthpiece, the Tibet Daily, from Dec 12 to 14.

The report noted that the US Congress had passed legislation on Dec 11 demanding access to Tibet and other Tibetan areas for US diplomats, journalists and tourists, adding President Donald Trump had signed the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act into law on Dec 19.

In this backdrop, the report quoted Zhu Weiqun, former head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as saying, “It’s not surprising that we denounce the Dalai Lama, as it’s a must at any time in Tibet for regional stability and unity.”

In this connection Zhu was cited as saying of the Dalai Lama, “it’s important to raise public awareness of his moves at a moment when Western countries including the US increased pressure on China which in the Dalai Lama’s view would be an opportunity for his separatism.”

Zhu had led the Chinese side in a series of talks with envoys of the Dalai Lama over 2002-2010, ending it in a highly acrimonious note with hurling of condemnations, abuses, and other vile epithets on the Tibetan side. The Tibetans only sought start of negotiations on the terms on which Tibet should become a meaningfully autonomous region of China without any need to amend China’s current national constitution.

Zhu has also warned that his government was anticipating that the Dalai Lama would stir up some troubles next year, the 60th anniversary of his “fleeing China”.

Xiong Kunxin, an ethnic studies professor at Tibet University in Lhasa, has cited another reason as well for the publication of the articles condemning the Dalai Lama, saying they were needed for the establishment of correct religious values in line with the Marxist view of religion.

“The Dalai Lama has a certain influence on some people who don’t know the truth and revealing and criticizing him could let these people sharpen their eyes,” Xiong was quoted as adding.

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Meanwhile, China’s official Xinhua news agency reported Dec 20 that its National People’s Congress (NPC), or parliament, had expressed strong indignation at and firm opposition to the US Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act. It also cited China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying as saying the act was a gross interference in China’s domestic affairs and sent a seriously wrong message to “Tibetan independence” forces.

Hua has claimed, falsely, that Tibet and Tibetan areas in the other four regions of the PRC were open to people from around the world.

She has said that since 2015, visitors to Tibet and these regions from the United States alone totalled nearly 40,000 as proof that Tibet was fully open to visitors. However, she was silent on the act’s contention that diplomats, journalists, and overseas Tibetans were being almost fully banned from visiting Tibet in ways their Chinese counterparts were not at all when visiting the US.

She was reported to have warned that if the US side took actions according to the act, it will definitely cause serious damage to bilateral relations and bilateral exchange and cooperation in key fields, and that China will take strong measures to resolutely safeguard its own interests.

Hua wanted the United States to “fully recognize the high sensitivity of the Tibet issue, stop using the Tibet issue to interfere in China’s domestic affairs, and not to implement the act,” or the US side should “take full responsibilities for the consequences”.

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