If China’s Xi Jinping can talk with Taiwan’s leader, he can talk to Tibet’s. This may be the last chance.
With this past weekend’s meeting with Taiwanese President Ma Ying Jeou, Chinese President Xi Jinping has accomplished something none of his predecessors at the helm of the People’s Republic of China has. Now, if Xi is the new type of leader of a more confident country as he styles himself to be, then he should turn his attention to another challenge: Tibet.
For years, Beijing has professed an interest in improving the situation in Tibet. Yet, it has steadfastly refused to directly engage Tibet’s political and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in discussions over the future of the region. Winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 and has been living in exile in India. However, he remains deeply revered and wildly popular among Tibetans, and stands at the center of the Sino-Tibet relationship.[Source]