CHINA

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23 April 2008
States' Negroponte Urges China to Begin Dialogue with Dalai Lama

By David I. McKeeby
Staff Writer

Washington -- The United States is deeply concerned about reports of violence and arrests in Tibet, where stability will not be possible unless China takes action to address long-standing grievances among the Tibetan people, says a top U.S. diplomat.

“The Chinese government should seize the opportunity to talk to those Tibetans, represented by the Dalai Lama, who oppose violence and do not seek independence for Tibet,” Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte says.

While calls to boycott the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing show the extent of the international community’s concern about human rights in China, Negroponte said in Senate testimony April 23 that the United States has no plans to do so, calling the games a symbol of pride for China’s 1.3 billion people. But so far, Negroponte said, China’s response to U.S. suggestions to open talks with the Dalai Lama and to allow diplomats or other observers into the troubled region has been “minimal at best.”

“If Beijing does not engage with the Dalai Lama now, it will only serve to strengthen those who advocate extreme views,” Negroponte said.

“Underlying these tragic events is China’s long-standing repression of religious, cultural and other freedoms for the Tibetan people,” Under Secretary of State Paula Dobriansky wrote in an April 21 article. “The cycle of protests followed by crackdowns has repeated itself several times, but the end result has always been the same: control is restored but only temporarily, while the underlying causes of Tibetan grievances remain unaddressed.”

Dobriansky, who serves as the U.S. special envoy for Tibet, met with the 72-year-old Dalai Lama in Michigan April 21 during his visit to the United States to appeal for help in stopping the unrest. The Dalai Lama is the Himalayan region's exiled spiritual leader.

The United States officially recognizes Tibet to be part of China, but the State Department’s 2007 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices finds that China’s human rights record in Tibetan areas “remained poor,” and cited rising repression of religious freedom in the region. The report states that Chinese authorities continued to commit torture, arbitrary arrest and detention, as well as house arrest and surveillance of dissidents, among other serious human rights abuses in the region.

The United States believes that the best way forward is for China to engage in “direct and meaningful talks with the Dalai Lama,” the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader who has rejected independence for Tibet in favor of autonomy within China, Dobriansky said. The Dalai Lama has publicly called on the people of Tibet to stop the violence, and has indicated his support for holding the Olympic Games in Beijing.

If followed, this path could build on six rounds of talks between Chinese officials and the Dalai Lama’s representatives since 2002, and could provide the foundation for long-term stability.

The United States also has urged China to stop repressive measures directed at Tibetans seeking to practice their religion and preserve their cultural identity; to release those detained for peacefully protesting or expressing their views; and for unrestricted access into Tibetan areas for journalists and foreign diplomats.

Negroponte said it is a U.S. priority to establish a permanent diplomatic presence in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, a move strongly supported by several U.S. lawmakers.

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