ADDRESS BY HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA TO THE TIBETAN-CHINESE CONFERENCE IN GENEVA ON AUGUST 6, 2009
I extend
my greetings to the Chair of this conference, the organizers, the
delegates who have come from many different places, and guests. I would
specially like to commend the International Fellowship of
Reconciliation and the Swiss Tibetan Friendship Association for
organizing this wide-ranging conference of Chinese and Tibetans.For
over a thousand years, the Tibetan and Chinese people have co-existed
as friendly and harmonious neighbors with mutually enriching relations
in the social and economic fields as well as in religion and culture.
Occasionally, there were times when we fought each other. However, for
the most part, relations between Tibetan and Chinese peoples were
peaceful. Since Buddhism flourished in China before Tibet, Tibetan
Buddhists accord Chinese Buddhists the respect and deference due to
senior spiritual brothers and sisters.Just as the rest of the
world witnessed tumultuous developments in the twentieth century,
China, too, experienced dramatic changes. Soon after the Communist
Party took over China in 1949, the People’s Liberation Army entered
Tibet, forcefully defeating the small and ill-equipped Tibetan army in
Chamdo. In 1951, the 17-Point Agreement was signed under duress and all
of Tibet was incorporated into the People’s Republic of China.Despite
all our sincere efforts to abide by the 17-Point Agreement, eventually
(in 1959) I, along with my Cabinet, had to go into exile with around
80,000 Tibetans (both lay and the clergy) who were able to follow us.
Soon after arriving in exile we began intensive and in-depth
discussions on resolving the Tibetan problem through contact and
discussions with the Chinese authorities. As a result, around 1974 we
adopted the Middle Way Approach. The guiding spirit of the Middle Way
Approach is the pursuit of a mutually acceptable and mutually
beneficial solution through negotiations, in the spirit of
reconciliation and compromise. We resolved not to seek the separation
and independence of Tibet but to strive for a solution within the
framework of the PRC. Thus, in 1979 when the late Chinese leader Deng
Xiaoping signaled willingness for contact and discussion, we were fully
prepared to respond positively. On establishing direct contact we sent
delegations on fact-finding missions and for exploratory talks –
altogether numbering 20 delegations. However, sadly there was no
concrete outcome. Moreover, all direct contact ceased in 1993. As a
result there were an increasing number of people in the Tibetan
community in exile who did not agree with the Middle Way Approach.Against
this background, in 1997 we conducted an opinion poll among Tibetans in
exile in which more than 64 per cent supported continuation of the
Middle Way Approach. Consequently, we worked to re-establish contact
with the Chinese Central Government and succeeded in doing so in 2002.
Since then my envoys have so far had eight formal rounds of discussions
with the concerned leaders of the Chinese Government and one informal
meeting. Unfortunately, on account of a lack of political will on the
part of the Chinese Central Government to address the issue of Tibet in
a sincere and realistic way, the talks did not yield any tangible
results. Moreover, the situation inside Tibet has worsened dramatically
since the crisis in Tibet of March last year. Beijing has labeled those
who peacefully demonstrated their dissatisfaction with policies towards
minority nationalities, particularly Tibetans, as being anti-Chinese,
thus fanning racial antagonism and hatred between the Tibetan and
Chinese peoples. This is a most irresponsible policy. It has resulted
in baseless suspicion and distrust between the two communities. I am
deeply saddened and concerned about this development.Fortunately,
many Chinese intellectuals have not succumbed to the propaganda of the
Central Government. They have made the effort to understand the issue
objectively. Thus, based on their own observations and findings, they
have displayed sympathy and support for the Tibetan people in many
articles. This is a source of great encouragement to the Tibetan people
and triumph of truth.My envoys have clearly conveyed both in
writing and verbally, to the Central Government the essence of my
Middle Way Approach that seeks a solution to the Tibetan problem within
the framework of the People’s Republic of China and in accordance with
the principles of its Constitution. The Constitution provides regional
self-rule for minority nationalities. During the eighth round of talks
last year, my envoys presented the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for
the Tibetan People. Based on provisions in the Constitution of the
People’s Republic of China and the Law on Regional National Autonomy,
this Memorandum explains in detail how the Tibetan people could
exercise meaningful national regional autonomy. However, to our great
disappointment our initiative was unabashedly labeled as disguised
independence or a demand for semi-independence, and our Memorandum was
categorically rejected and no effort was made to present a
counter-proposal. As a result today, my faith in the good will of the
present Chinese leadership is shaken.In view of this sad state
of affairs, I called a Special General Meeting of the Tibetan people.
Last November around 600 delegates representing all Tibetans in exile
gathered in Dharamsala for a six-day conference. The meeting discussed
at length the situation inside Tibet and developments in China as well
as the future course of the Tibetan freedom struggle. It also
considered whatever views we were able to gather from a cross-section
of Tibetans inside Tibet. Similarly, a special meeting was held by the
Tibet Support Groups from all over the world.In both meetings,
even though there were strong voices calling for a change of the Middle
Way Approach and an end to our contact with the present Chinese
government, most of the participants endorsed continuation of the
Middle Way Approach as well as the Tibetan-Chinese dialogue process.
With this public affirmation of our Middle Way Approach, we stand ready
to engage in earnest and sincere discussions as soon as there is a
clear signal from Beijing that the Central Government is willing to
address the real issues facing the six million Tibetans inside Tibet.I
have two appeals to our Chinese brothers and sisters who are
participating in this conference. First, I seek your advice and frank
opinions on what steps to take in future to solve the Tibetan problem.
Secondly, I request your help in carrying a message to the Chinese
people that we Tibetans harbor no hatred against our Chinese brothers
and sisters, and that we Tibetans are neither anti-Chinese nor
anti-China. I seek your help and cooperation in preventing the issue of
Tibet being turned into an issue of racial prejudice and antagonism
between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples.I would like to
conclude by expressing my gratitude to all participants who have come
from distant places, as well as to the organizers. I pray that this
conference will mark an important step towards a common future based on
genuine trust, friendship, mutual respect and benefit.
Dalai LamaAugust 6, 2009