As the dust is settling down on the Potala Square in Lhasa, the time has come to take stock of the ‘grand’ event held last week in the Tibetan capital, namely the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the so-called Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR); in other words, the dismemberment of the Roof of World in 5 parts (with the TAR remaining the largest one, parts of Tibet are now administered by Sichuan, Yunnan, Qinghai and Gansu provinces).
Beijing has been preparing the events for months.
Imagine, 2 White Papers published since March 2015, a full Politburo meeting (on July 30), a two-day Sixth Tibet Work Forum (on August 24 and 25), a new Leading Group on United Front Work to deal with Tibet affairs and numerous high-profile visits to Tibet reported from time to time on this blog.
Why should China spend so much time and energy on Tibet?
The Chinese propaganda will probably tell you: China loves Tibet.
A few days ago, China Tibet Online announced a photo contest on ‘Charming Tibet’ to be held in Beijing: “The event aims to provide a platform for Tibet enthusiasts and photography lovers to showcase and share the charm of Tibet through their lens. Outstanding photos will receive awards. …In order to objectively present Tibet’s achievements in economic development, peace and stability in Tibet over the past 50 years, the event encourages all amateur and professional photographers, domestic college students and foreign students to show to the world a real Tibet through their cameras.”
Today, everyone in China loves ‘charming’ Tibet .
Tibet is indeed ‘charming’ and Beijing is ‘rejoicing’.
On September 10, an article in China Daily says: “The now-50-year-old Tibet autonomous region has every reason to rejoice: The national regional autonomy mechanism is working well and benefiting ordinary Tibetans.”
This is the Golden Age, according to the Communist leadership, which takes the occasion to demolish the Dalai Lama’s Middle Path approach: “Yet the 14th Dalai Lama and those in Dharamsala of India will not be sharing the festive mood, for this is not what the Dalai Lama wants. The ‘high degree of autonomy’ he advocates is de facto independence. He wants the central government to forsake any military presence in the region and for the region to conduct its own diplomacy. This would mean the region becoming an independent sovereignty entity.”
It is not what the Dalai Lama has been advocating, but it is irrelevant for Beijing, which continues with its propaganda: “But for that to happen, he would first have to overturn the established jurisprudential truth that Tibet is a part of China. Which is impossible.”[Source]