The international symposium titled “Finding a Common Ground: Strategic Response in a Changing Global Order,” organized by the Tibet Policy Institute, was held on September 10, 2024, in Dharamshala, India. The multilingual (Tibetan, Chinese, and English) conference began with a welcome address by Tempa Gyaltsen Zamlha, the Deputy Director of the Tibet Policy Institute. In his address, Zamlha highlighted the presence of speakers of Taiwanese, Hong Kong, Burmese, and Tibetan origin, who are currently based in Taiwan, the United States, and India.
The symposium featured a range of notable speakers: Yu Dahai, a founding member of Beijing Spring magazine and Director of Human Rights in China; Ko Ko Thu, Chairman of the Taiwan-Myanmar Civil Association; Yang Wangli, a dedicated member of the same association; Sang Pu, Chairman of the Taiwan-Hong Kong Association; and Ying Jung, a staunch Tibetan supporter from Taiwan. The event also included contributions from three research fellows of the Tibet Policy Institute—Dr. Tsewang Dorji, Phenthok, and Dhondup Wangmo. Attendees included the Director and members of TPI, the Secretary of the Department of International Relations (CTA), and representatives from various non-governmental organizations.
In his keyn
ote address, Dawa Tsering, Director of the Tibet Policy Institute, outlined the primary objective of the symposium: to set aside differences and create a unified platform for advocating democracy throughout the Asian region. Although the struggles of Taiwanese, Tibetans, Hongkongers, and Burmese differ in nature and scale, the shared ultimate goal among these repressed communities is freedom and self-determination. This collective approach subtly reflects the idea of strategic essentialism, suggesting that despite diverse and sometimes conflicting interests, forming a common identity can enhance their collective voice and political influence, while still recognizing the risks of essentializing these communities into a single, homogeneous entity.
The symposium was organized into four sessions, each with two speakers and a moderator, followed by a question-and-answer session. The first session, chaired by Dechen Palmo, Ph.D. Candidate and research fellow of TPI, featured Sang Pu’s presentation on “Hong Kong: Present, Future, Diaspora, Resilience, and Way Ahead.” He examined significant events from the 1997 handover to the 2020 National Security Law and admitted that the “one country, two systems” principle has proven to be a fantasy. He further discussed his organization’s dual approach to resistance, employing both offensive and defensive modes. Sang Pu highlighted the rapid deterioration in Hong Kong, drawing parallels to Tibet, criticizing Chinese government deceit, and emphasizing the importance of resilience. This was followed by Dr. Tsewang Dorji’s presentation on finding common ground between Tibet and Taiwan.
He discussed the absence of a meaningful resolution and intervention regarding Tibet in Taiwan’s two major political parties. He expressed hope for improved relations with the Central Tibetan Administration if more political parties emerge in Taiwan. The crux of his argument was recognizing a mutual ground between Tibet and Taiwan. He contended that this mutuality could be achieved through a strategic alliance, given the complex and restrictive political atmosphere. His call for a strategic alliance rests on the fact that Taiwan and Tibet are the front and back doors of China, respectively.
A detailed presentation on the Mya
nmar freedom movement was delivered by Yang Wangli and Ko Ko Thu from the Taiwan-Myanmar Civil Association during the second session, which was chaired by Dr. Tsewang Dorji. Yang Wangli noted that Myanmar recognizes eight major national ethnic races comprising approximately 135 ethnic groups, but the Chinese are not included among them. Both speakers, affected by the 1988 uprising and growing anti-Chinese sentiments, fled Myanmar and sought refuge in Taiwan. They advocate for democratic values and remain hopeful for Myanmar’s democratic future. The Taiwan Alliance for Myanmar (TAFM) was established after the 2021 military coup. Ko Ko Thu explained that the alliance’s main goal is to support Myanmar’s democratic movement and assist both resistance forces in Myanmar and Myanmar asylum seekers in Taiwan.
In the afternoon session, chaired by Dr. Kusang Dolma, The two speaker of Tibet Policy Institute Phenthok and Dhondup Wangmo presented on the historiography of Tibet as a nation under repression and on China’s double standards in clean energy policies, specifically lithium mining in Tibet. Phenthok focused on refuting and demystifying three significant historical claims made by the CCP regarding Tibet. These claims include the assertion that Tibet was civilized and culturally enriched through the marriage of Princess Wencheng to Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo, thereby asserting sovereignty over Tibet. “What kind of civilized nation makes such an arbitrary claim? Perhaps they simply did not understand the concept of political marriage,” he remarked. Similarly, the CCP’s claims about Manchu history and the ‘29-point agreement’ reflect a tendency to make sweeping and questionable assertions. This includes portraying the Manchu Qing Dynasty’s rule over China (1644-1912) as a period of unification and centralization, thereby framing the Qing Dynasty as an integral part of Chinese history. Dhondup Wangmo’s paper explored China’s covert economic strategy, focusing on the underlying motives for its clean energy policies, particularly the lithium mining in Tibet. She argues that the policy serves as a facade to sustain China’s supply chain, leveraging its position as the world’s largest producer of electric vehicles.
Yu Dahai, the first speaker in the final session, which was chaired by Tempa Gyaltsen Zamlha, expressed his support for Tibet and the Middle Way policy. He believes that Tibetan democratic practices could contribute to establishing a liberal foundation in China, which he describes as creating a “normal society.” The second speaker, a dedicated Taiwanese supporter of Tibet, Ying Jung, addressed the difficulties faced by stateless Tibetans in obtaining visas for Taiwan. She emphasized their success in extending the visa duration for Buddhist religious figures (monks and nuns) from two months to six months and further aims to make the process more inclusive. Additionally, she shared their future goal of facilitating Tibetan students’ opportunities to study in Taiwan and welcomed any valuable feedback on this initiative.
The symposium concluded with the Secretary of DIIR and the TPI Director
expressing their gratitude and highlighting the importance of such platforms. They stressed the need to unite voices from marginalized and repressed communities to stand in solidarity, address shared suffering, and combat injustice. It was indeed a remarkable instance of “worlding IR,” where speakers used their native languages instead of defaulting to English. This multilingual conference showcased a diverse range of voices, allowing the marginalized and repressed to come together and share their stories in their own languages and narratives. To conclude with the central theme of the symposium, it was assertive in its stance against the Chinese expansionist and imperialist regime, reflected in the idea of finding a common ground among the people whose land and freedom were forcefully taken by colonial and authoritarian states.
Reported by Tenzin Chokyi, Research Intern at Tibet Policy Institute