China’s Premier of the State Council, Li Keqiang was in Brussels on Monday to co-chair the 17th China-EU summit. His visit marked the 40th anniversary of China-EU relations. On the occasion, he met with Donald Tusk, President of the European Council and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission.
Just two steps away from the summit building, at the European Parliament building, another anniversary was being highlighted : H.H. the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday. Indeed, an event coincidence that China could have done without.
A photo panel installation showed the Tibetan spiritual leader with European leaders, amongst whom the very Donald Tusk, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, European Parliament President Martin Schulz and many others.
The exhibition highlights the Nobel Peace Prize’s laureate stature and international recognition. While China perceives him as ‘a wolf in monk’s robes’, the Dalai Lama is highly respected and appreciated in Europe for his non-violent efforts towards freedom for Tibetans.
The exhibition also serves as a reminder of the real ‘Tibetan areas’, far beyond TAR’s (Tibetan Autonomous Region) borders. Inside Tibet, Tibetans continue to self-immolate in protest against the Chinese occupation. Their acts are now criminalized, with families, friends and entire communities being punished for having ‘incited homicide’. This constitutes a ‘blatant violation of international law, which forbids collective punishment’, according to the International Campaign for Tibet.
Source: www.lalibre.be http://www.lalibre.be/actu/international/une-piqure-de-rappel-tibetaine-558d82203570c3a65a4e2a24
By Sabine Verhest
Translated/adapted from French original by Eva Cirnu
