BY VIJAY KRANTI
(Author is a senior Indian journalist and a keen watcher of Tibet-China scene for nearly five decades. He is Chairman, Centre for Himalayan Asia Studies and Engagement, New Delhi)
If Tibet were a free country today, the Dalai Lama would have been celebrating this 13th February with a special religious fervour because it would have been the 108th anniversary of a free Tibet. Number ‘108’ stands out as the most auspicious one in the Buddhist spiritual lexicon. On 13th February 1913 the 13th Dalai Lama, the predecessor of the present one, had declared Tibet as a ‘free and independent’ country following the collapse of the Qing dynasty of the Machus who had occupied Tibet for past two years. For China too, the fall of Qing dynasty rule marked the end of nearly three century long Manchurian rule over the Han people and emergence of a new Han China as ‘Republic of China’ (ROC) under nationalist leader Sun Yat-sen, the father of modern China.
It was 38 years later in 1951 that the newly found ‘Peoples Republic of China’ (PRC) occupied Tibet once again. PRC had come into existence on October 1, 1949 following the overthrow of ROC in a bloody Communist revolution lead by Comrade Mao. In the intervening period since 1912 the ROC had already expanded the Republic to over double of its original size by occupying South Mongolia in 1919, Manchuria in 1935 and Republic of East Turkistan, which was renamed as ‘Xinjiang’ in 1946. Following the fall of his nationalist government in Beijing Chiang Kai-shek’s fled to the island of Taiwan across the Formosa Strait and established a parallel ‘Republic of China’. Since then Beijing has been making claims over Taiwan and threatening to assimilate it with PRC by force.
‘ONE CHINA POLICY’: FROM TAIWAN TO TIBET
Chiang Kai-shek’s ROC remained into vogue for next two decades on the strength of diplomatic and military support of US. Thanks to Washington’s strong dislike and allergy to communism, Taiwan occupied the permanent seat in the UN Security Council as the ‘real’ China and enjoyed same veto powers as other four big brothers in the UN. However, the story changed in 1971 when, out of fears of the Soviet Union, the Richard Nixon government of USA decided to put its weight behind PRC and Mao’s China replaced Taiwan in the UN.
It is interesting to note that Beijing’s concept of ‘One China Policy’ was earlier limited only to Taiwan. In the world community of 193 nations only 15 recognize Taiwan as ROC today. Emboldened by the world’s timid response to its arrogance, China has quietly expanded its ‘One China Policy’ to its two colonies namely Tibet and Xinjiang. This obsession of Beijing with ‘One China Policy’ has recently extended to Hong Kong too after China overran it in 2020 and put an end to its autonomous status by scrapping its independent democratic constitution.
COLONIZED TIBET
Since 1951 the sun of freedom has yet to dawn on Tibet. For past seven decades Tibet is living under the iron grip of Communist Party of China (CPC) which claims Tibet as an ‘integral and inseparable’ part of China. Leave aside asking for freedom of Tibet from the Chinese colonial control, even mention of basic human rights of Tibetan people by any country or organization across the world invites a fiery reaction from Beijing as a challenge to the ‘One China Policy’.
In early years of Tibet’s occupation, it was the arrogance of the Chinese leaders and their disregard for international norms which kept Tibet away from the world’s political conscience. In recent decades the diplomatic skills of Chinese leadership, fortified with the newly acquired economic and military might of China have made Beijing far more bullish and aggressive on Tibet.
CHANGING INTERNATIONAL MOOD
It is true that the international community has been tolerating, rather submitting to China’s bully conduct over its colonies and the dissenting Chinese groups like the democracy movement, Falun Gong and religious groups like the Christians and Hui Muslims. But ever increasing Chinese belligerence to a host of countries in the South China Sea, East China Sea and Oceania has started a new wave of resistance from a host of countries which earlier chose to ignore or tolerate Beijing’s belligerence.
Alliances like ASEAN are looking for alternate partners to come out of the dark shadow of China. Hibernating groups like the QUAD are waking up again with a new resolve against China. Australia’s decision to rejoin USA, India and Japan to revive QUAD and converting it into an ‘Eastern-NATO’ like military alliance against China is the most visible sign of this changing world response to China’s arrogance. Interest shown by other victims of Beijing like Vietnam, Indonesia and South Korea to join QUAD simply shows that China’s days of getting away with passing unilateral judgments and bypassing accepted international rules and laws at will are over. And finally, the devastating impact of China’s Wuhan virus on the life and economy of innumerable countries across the world too has shaken up the world to stand up to China.
TIBET AND XINJIANG
Already there are enough signs to show that world is now inclined towards finding ways to confront Beijing on issues where China is vulnerable. Following the spread of Wuhan virus across the world and China’s attempts to use the market depression caused by its Corona-19 virus to forage into leading international companies has given rise to a new trend among international companies to shift their production bases and business centres from China to more reliable countries. Sudden end of democracy in Hong Kong has further accelerated this process. The new spurt in open support for human rights and the freedom struggles of China’s two major colonies namely Tibet and Xinjiang, among the US establishment and the European Union is a sign of a new anti-China wave developing on the horizon.
Earlier US Congress resolutions, like the HR-1779 of May 2001, had already announced Tibet as “an occupied country under the established principles of international law”. The latest laws passed on Tibet and Xinjiang by the US Congress through unprecedented cooperation and coordination between otherwise warring Democrats and Republicans during the last days of Trump presidency clearly indicates the US resolve to hit China where it hurts most.
TIBET: INDIA’S REAL LEVER AGAINST CHINA
Under such circumstances the military aggression against India by China on former’s Himalayan borders by using Chinese occupied Tibet as its launch pad too has given enough reasons to New Delhi to seriously to have a second thought on its almost pro-China policy on Tibet. In India the public opinion and political leadership are fast realizing that India’s only way to peace with a perpetually hostile China on its Himalayan borders is to see Tibet once again established as a buffer between India and China. A drastic change in world opinion against China should be helpful to the Modi government. It is high time for India to change its seven decade old policy of meek submission before China on the question of Tibet and adopt an assertive and self-respecting policy.
Indian government has already shown the courage of refusing to tow Beijing’s dictates on ‘One China Policy’. By demanding the Xi government to reciprocate with ‘One India Policy’ on matters like Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh Modi government has already indicates that New Delhi has the guts and grit to stand up to China’s bully behaviour. India’s strong stand against China on the issue of human rights in Tibet at the UN General Assembly resolution of 1965 is a good moral point to start from. Moreover, challenging China’s ‘One China Policy’ on grounds of standing for a colonized neighbour Tibet is very much in tune with India’s stand on moral issues. And there are host of countries and power blocks who are eagerly waiting for India to take a lead in this direction.
By Mpekuzi
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