Today, I extend heartfelt greetings to my Chinese brothers and sisters
round the world, particularly to those in the People’s Republic of
China. In the light of the recent developments in Tibet, I would like
to share with you my thoughts concerning relations between the Tibetan
and Chinese peoples, and to make a personal appeal to you all.

I am deeply saddened by the loss of life in the recent tragic
events in Tibet. I am aware that some Chinese have also died. I feel
for the victims and their families and pray for them. The recent unrest
has clearly demonstrated the gravity of the situation in Tibet and the
urgent need to seek a peaceful and mutually beneficial solution through
dialogue. Even at this juncture I have expressed my willingness to the
Chinese authorities to work together to bring about peace and
stability.

Chinese brothers and sisters, I assure you I have no desire to
seek Tibet’s separation. Nor do I have any wish to drive a wedge
between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples. On the contrary my commitment
has always been to find a genuine solution to the problem of Tibet that
ensures the long-term interests of both Chinese and Tibetans. My
primary concern, as I have repeated time and again, is to ensure the
survival of the Tibetan people’s distinctive culture, language and
identity. As a simple monk who strives to live his daily life according
to Buddhist precepts, I assure you of the sincerity of my motivation.

I have appealed to the leadership of the PRC to clearly
understand my position and work to resolve these problems by “seeking
truth from facts.” I urge the Chinese leadership to exercise wisdom and
to initiate a meaningful dialogue with the Tibetan people. I also
appeal to them to make sincere efforts to contribute to the stability
and harmony of the PRC and avoid creating rifts between the
nationalities. The state media’s portrayal of the recent events in
Tibet, using deceit and distorted images, could sow the seeds of racial
tension with unpredictable long-term consequences. This is of grave
concern to me. Similarly, despite my repeated support for the Beijing
Olympics, the Chinese authorities, with the intention of creating rift
between the Chinese people and myself, assert that I am trying to
sabotage the games. I am encouraged, however, that several Chinese
intellectuals and scholars have also expressed their strong concern
about the Chinese leadership’s actions and the potential for adverse
long-term consequences, particularly on relations among different
nationalities.

Since ancient times, Tibetan and Chinese peoples have lived as
neighbors. In the two thousand year-old recorded history of our
peoples, we have at times developed friendly relations, even entering
into matrimonial alliances, while at other times we fought each other.
However, since Buddhism flourished in China first before it arrived in
Tibet from India, we Tibetans have historically accorded the Chinese
people the respect and affection due to elder Dharma brothers and
sisters. This is something well known to members of the Chinese
community living outside China, some of whom have attended my Buddhist
lectures, as well as pilgrims from mainland China, whom I have had the
privilege to meet. I take heart from these meetings and feel they may
contribute to a better understanding between our two peoples.

The twentieth century witnessed enormous changes in many parts
of the world and Tibet, too, was caught up in this turbulence. Soon
after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the
People’s Liberation Army entered Tibet finally resulting in the
17-Point Agreement concluded between China and Tibet in May 1951. When
I was in Beijing in 1954-55, attending the National People’s Congress,
I had the opportunity to meet and develop a personal friendship with
many senior leaders, including Chairman Mao himself. In fact, Chairman
Mao gave me advice on numerous issues, as well as personal assurances
with regard to the future of Tibet. Encouraged by these assurances, and
inspired by the dedication of many of China’s revolutionary leaders of
the time, I returned to Tibet full of confidence and optimism. Some
Tibetan members of the Communist Party also had such a hope. After my
return to Lhasa, I made every possible effort to seek genuine autonomy
for Tibet within the family of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). I
believed that this would best serve the long-term interests of both the
Tibetan and Chinese peoples.

Unfortunately, tensions, which began to escalate in Tibet from
around 1956, eventually led to the peaceful uprising of March 10, 1959,
in Lhasa and my eventual escape into exile. Although many positive
developments have taken place in Tibet under the PRC’s rule, these
developments, as the previous Panchen Lama pointed out in January 1989,
were overshadowed by immense suffering and extensive destruction.
Tibetans were compelled to live in a state of constant fear, while the
Chinese government remained suspicious of them. However, instead of
cultivating enmity towards the Chinese leaders responsible for the
ruthless suppression of the Tibetan people, I prayed for them to become
friends, which I expressed in the following lines in a prayer I
composed in 1960, a year after I arrived in India: “May they attain the
wisdom eye discerning right and wrong, And may they abide in the glory
of friendship and love.” Many Tibetans, school children among them,
recite these lines in their daily prayers.

In 1974, following serious discussions with my Kashag
(cabinet), as well as the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the then
Assembly of the Tibetan People’s Deputies, we decided to find a Middle
Way that would seek not to separate Tibet from China, but would
facilitate the peaceful development of Tibet. Although we had no
contact at the time with the PRC – which was in the midst of the
Cultural Revolution – we had already recognized that sooner or later,
we would have to resolve the question of Tibet through negotiations. We
also acknowledged that, at least with regard to modernization and
economic development, it would greatly benefit Tibet if it remained
within the PRC. Although Tibet has a rich and ancient cultural
heritage, it is materially undeveloped.

Situated on the roof of the world, Tibet is the source of many
of Asia’s major rivers, therefore, protection of the environment on the
Tibetan plateau is of supreme importance. Since our utmost concern is
to safeguard Tibetan Buddhist culture – rooted as it is in the values
of universal compassion – as well as the Tibetan language and the
unique Tibetan identity, we have worked whole-heartedly towards
achieving meaningful self-rule for all Tibetans. The PRC’s constitution
provides the right for nationalities such as the Tibetans to do this.

In 1979, the then Chinese paramount leader, Deng Xiaoping
assured my personal emissary that “except for the independence of
Tibet, all other questions can be negotiated.” Since we had already
formulated our approach to seeking a solution to the Tibetan issue
within the constitution of the PRC, we found ourselves well placed to
respond to this new opportunity. My representatives met many times with
officials of the PRC. Since renewing our contacts in 2002, we have had
six rounds of talks. However, on the fundamental issue, there has been
no concrete result at all. Nevertheless, as I have declared many times,
I remain firmly committed to the Middle Way approach and reiterate here
my willingness to continue to pursue the process of dialogue.

This year the Chinese people are proudly and eagerly awaiting
the opening of the Olympic Games. I have, from the start, supported
Beijing’s being awarded the opportunity to host the Games. My position
remains unchanged. China has the world’s largest population, a long
history and an extremely rich civilization. Today, due to her
impressive economic progress, she is emerging as a great power. This is
certainly to be welcomed. But China also needs to earn the respect and
esteem of the global community through the establishment of an open and
harmonious society based on the principles of transparency, freedom,
and the rule of law. For example, to this day victims of the Tiananmen
Square tragedy that adversely affected the lives of so many Chinese
citizens have received neither just redress nor any official response.
Similarly, when thousands of ordinary Chinese in rural areas suffer
injustice at the hands of exploitative and corrupt local officials,
their legitimate complaints are either ignored or met with aggression.
I express these concerns both as a fellow human being and as someone
who is prepared to consider himself a member of the large family that
is the People’s Republic of China. In this respect, I appreciate and
support President Hu Jintao’s policy of creating a “harmonious
society”, but this can only arise on the basis of mutual trust and an
atmosphere of freedom, including freedom of speech and the rule of law.
I strongly believe that if these values are embraced, many important
problems relating to minority nationalities can be resolved, such as
the issue of Tibet, as well as Eastern Turkistan, and Inner Mongolia,
where the native people now constitute only 20% of a total population
of 24 million.

I had hoped President Hu Jintao’s recent statement that the
stability and safety of Tibet concerns the stability and safety of the
country might herald the dawning of a new era for the resolution of the
problem of Tibet. It is unfortunate that despite my sincere efforts not
to separate Tibet from China, the leaders of the PRC continue to accuse
me of being a “separatist”. Similarly, when Tibetans in Lhasa and many
other areas spontaneously protested to express their deep-rooted
resentment, the Chinese authorities immediately accused me of having
orchestrated their demonstrations. I have called for a thorough
investigation by a respected body to look into this allegation.

Chinese brothers and sisters – wherever you may be – with deep
concern I appeal to you to help dispel the misunderstandings between
our two communities. Moreover, I appeal to you to help us find a
peaceful, lasting solution to the problem of Tibet through dialogue in
the spirit of understanding and accommodation.

With my prayers,

Dalai Lama

March 28, 2008

Note: translated from the Tibetan original