Before China and the representatives of Tibet would hold their meeting, China’s government had called Tibet’s spiritual leader, His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama as a “criminal.” This gives off the indication that China’s government has blamed the Dalai Lama for the widespread anti-Chinese protests along with attempted interruptions of the Olympic Torch world tour.
China’s government offered talks after it was urged by many of the Western nations. They said that the Dalai Lama wanted Tibet to be autonomous and to have religious freedom. Many of Tibet’s residents are Buddhists. China’s official faith is Atheism. In the past, China has cracked down on other religious faiths in the past. The crackdowns had started in March, marking the anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against the Chinese government. It also caused the Dalai Lama to go into exile in India.
Earlier on, the Dalai Lama asked for talks. But China refused to talk and said that the crackdown on demonstrations would continue. During that time, the Dalai Lama accused the Chinese government of committing “cultural genocide.”
China’s Premiere Wen Jiabao dismissed the Dalai Lama’s executions as nothing but lies.
Even though there look to be talks between China and Tibet, it looks highly expected that nothing will come out of it. The Tibet Daily had said that the Dalai Lama’s supporters were responsible for the deadly riots. Still, the death toll is being disputed.
The paper said that the Dalai Lama’s clique went into a bout of insanity because they would not achieve independence.
There have already been talks in the past. But, the talks had broken down each time. This time, it may not be any different. China has been on the receiving end of much backlash from the international community.
However, Chinese students abroad came to the country’s aid. They clashed with anti-China demonstrators at many points of the Olympic Torch world tour. One example would be the torch relay in Australia in which Australian flags were gravely outnumbered by Chinese flags.
The same thing had happened during the torch relay in South Korea. However, most of the Koreans protested China’s treatment of North Korean refugees.
Recently, Chinese students in the United States have tried to fight against the image of their home country painted by the international community. Recently, a Tibetan monk was a guest lecturer at the University of Southern California. The Chinese students in the class had thrown all sorts of questions at the monk. It was like they threw everything but the kitchen sink. Perhaps, they might’ve thrown the kitchen sink if it was available.
Students have spoken out against the backlash from the international community. They have been either civil or aggressive. The Chinese students abroad, let alone studying in the US have expressed their frustration in the matter. But, the way they have expressed their frustration is up for debate.
Critics could say that what the way they have expressed their frustration is no different to that of the Chinese government. It is evident in many parts of the Pacific such as South Korea and Australia. But, there is a good chance that they may be doing it out of fear.
Like China’s government, it may not be surprising if these students also paint the Dalai Lama as a criminal. Still, the Dalai Lama has been blamed for the violence and the anti-Chinese protests.
However, the Dalai Lama insists he is anti-violence. During an interview with BBC in the past, the Dalai Lama says that while he speaks for the people of Tibet, he does not control them. He also gave an ultimatum that he would resign as Tibet’s leader of the Tibetans continued resorting to violence.
But, China’s government has given the indication that it does not believe the Dalai Lama.