[Dharamsala : Tibetan PM in-exile,
Lobsang Sangay, monks and others during a special prayer for the Nepal
earthquake victims at the Tsuglagkhang temple in Mcleodganj near Dharamsala on
Monday. PTI Photo (PTI4_27_2015_000205B)]
Though it escaped the Indian (and
the world) media, a crucial event occurred in Beijing: the Sixth Tibet Work
Forum was held on August 24 and 25.
A Tibet Work
Forum usually decides the fate of the Roof of the World for the next 5 to 10
years. India should be concerned, as it also defines China’s western borders
policies.
The previous
Forum was held in Beijing in January 2010. Before that, four Tibet Work
Conferences were organised in 1980, 1984, 1994 and 2001.
But what is
exactly a Work Forum on Tibet?
It is a
conference attended by several hundreds of officials, including the entire
Politburo, the People’s Liberation Army, representatives from different
ministries, as well as local satraps.
The 6th
Tibet Work Forum was presided over by President Xi Jinping, who pleaded for
more efforts to promote economic growth and bring about inclusive social
progress in Tibet and Tibetan-inhabited areas.
Note that
the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and Tibetan-inhabited areas of four
provinces (Sichuan, Gansu, Qinghai and Yunnan) have been clubbed together as far
as Beijing’s policy for Tibet is concerned.
Xi vowed to
take sustainable measures and continue preferential policies for the
mountainous region which, “has entered a critical stage toward fulfilling the
country’s [China] goal of building a moderately prosperous society in a
comprehensive way.”
The Chinese
President asserted:
“Development,
which aims to improve living conditions for various ethnic groups and beef up
social cohesion, should be advanced in a prudent and steady manner, and all
measures taken should be sustainable.”
The dual
objective of improving the ‘local conditions’ and ‘beefing up social cohesion’
pervaded the speech of the President. Xi also affirmed,
“Efforts
should also be made to incorporate education on ‘socialist core values’ into courses
in schools at various levels, popularize the national commonly-used language
and script, and strive to foster Party-loving and patriotic builders and
successors of the socialist cause.”
Will the
Tibetans accept these ‘core values’?
Imposition
of Chinese language could have severe backlashes on the Tibetan plateau. The
unrest in March/April 2008 has already been a sign of rejection of the
imposition of a new Tibetan culture with Chinese characteristics.
Premier Li
Keqiang was also present at the Forum. He affirmed that “it will be an arduous
task for Tibet to build a ‘moderately prosperous’ society over the next five
years,” though this is a component of the Chinese Dream, so dear to President
Xi.
Li also
pledged to increase financial aid to Tibet and build further infrastructure
which means more roads, airports, railway lines and dams. For India, it is
certainly a cause of worries.
The entire
politburo, including the seven members’ Standing Committee, was in attendance.
Behind these
promises, the Forum focused on China’s main worry, namely the ‘instability’ of
the Land of Snows, or in other words, the ‘nationalist’ aspirations of the
people of Tibet.
According to
the official news agency, President Xi Jinping mentioned “national and ethnic
unity as the key plans for Tibet, vowing a focus on long-term, comprehensive
stability and an unswerving anti-separatism battle.”
It is ‘an
obligatory task’ said Xi. It shows that China is still trembling, more than 60
years after Tibet was ‘liberated’.
Xi
reiterated his theory about the ‘border areas’: “governing border areas is the
key for governing a country, and stabilising Tibet.”
Tibet’s main
border is with India. Does it mean that China is afraid of India?
Xi also
urged “the promotion of Marxist values in people’s views on ethnics, religion
and culture.” Party’s officials should “keep pace with the CPC Central
Committee in their thoughts and deeds, telling them to ‘cherish unity as if it
was their eyes’,” said Xi.
Will
Tibetans one day cherish unity with Han Chinese as if the latter were their own
eyes? It may never happen.
An important
Politburo meeting
Already on
July 30, a meeting of the Politburo had discussed Tibet affairs. Xinhua had
then announced:
“Chinese
leaders met to discuss economic and social development in Tibet, and how to
ensure the autonomous region achieve prolonged stability.”
President Xi
Jinping said the solution for Tibet was to “maintain national religious
policies and promote patriotism in Tibet.”
The July
Politburo meeting, 4 weeks before the Forum, raises a serious issue. Why to
have a full meeting of the Politburo to ‘prepare’ the Tibet Work Forum?
When people
had speculated about the possibility of the Party holding meetings at the
summer resort of Beidaihe, Xinhua argued:
“Not long
ago, the CCP Central Politburo met twice, on July 20 and on July 30, which was
unusual. They have already discussed ‘The Thirteenth Five-Year Plan’, the CCP
Fifth Plenary Session, economic strategies, the ‘anti-tiger campaign’, and
other important issues.”
The article,
though it does not mention the Tibet issue, asked:
“Is it
meaningful, necessary, or possible to talk about these issues again in Beidaihe
several days or ten days later?”
So why have
a Politburo meeting on Tibet (even if ‘Tibet’ was just a topic on the agenda of
the July meeting), to discuss the same things 4 weeks later?
A plausible
explanation could be that there was some serious disagreement amongst the
leaders on the Tibet issue.
The air had
to be cleared (or the positions fine-tuned) before calling for the much larger
forum which is usually attended by 200 or 300 cadres.
Since the
time of the so-called ‘liberation’ in 1950, the leadership has always been
sharply divided on the direction to take for the Roof of the World.
The
situation seems the same today.
Around the
same time, former President Jiang Zemin was targeted.
It was
insinuated that ‘a highly positioned cadre’, when he was in power, arranged for
his trusted aides to be in the top positions for the purpose of being able to
manipulate power in the future. Jiang was asked to stop interfering in China’s
affairs.
Could it be
that some members of the Jiang faction were trying to derail Xi’s policy of
development in Tibet? It is a possibility.
Two
high-level visits to the Roof of the World
Following
the July Politburo meeting, two members of the over-powerful body were sent to
Tibet on ‘inspection’ (a few days before the Forum was held).
Wang Yang,
vice-premier of the State Council ‘inspected’ Lhasa and Nagchu between August
13 and 15. Xinhua said that he “investigated relevant work [linked to] poverty
alleviation and development, animal husbandry, tourist industry and
meteorological services.”
This
indicates the direction in which the Forum went a week later.
Wang is said
to have concluded:
“We are
proud of the great achievements made for the development of Tibet, Tibet has a
precious natural and cultural heritage; it should be cherished.”
It was a
prelude to the 6th Tibet Work Forum.
On August
13, Xinhua reported that Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of the Central Military
Commission (CMC), another member of the 25-member Politburo, visited Tibet (and
Chongqing). He urged the military forces posted for defense of the border [with
India] “to make down-to-earth efforts and build a strong army”.
Xu pleaded
for better management and control of the borders “as well as innovation with
ideological work at military forces to shore up the morale of servicemen for
border defense.”
Xu’s
exhortation was reflected in Xi’s speech during the Forum.
Xi
reiterated his theory about the ‘border areas’: “governing border areas is the
key for governing a country, and stabilising Tibet is a priority for governing
border areas.”
In the years
to come, the ‘stability’ of Tibet and the borders with India, irrespective of
economic and other issues, will remain crucial for the Beijing leadership to
survive.
It was
perhaps worthwhile to have 2 meetings!
And of
course, “the Central Government did not in the past, nor is now and will not in
the future accept the [Dalai Lama’s] Middle Way solution to the Tibet issue,”
said an article penned by an official the United Front Department after the
Forum.
Here too,
the hard line has prevailed once again.
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