Tibetan-Chinese Alliance Conference Holds in Canberra, Appeals Australian Government to Press China during Bilateral and Multilateral Talks. Photo credit: Kunchok Gyaltsen

Canberra: The Tibetan-Chinese Alliance Conference was held at the Ann Harding Conference Centre, Canberra University, from 8-9 February 2025. It was organised by the Tibet Information Office in collaboration with the Australia and New Zealand Alliance of Victims of the Chinese Communist Regime, the Chinese Alliance for Democracy, the Federation for a Democratic China, the Chinese-Tibetan Friendship Associations in Australia and New Zealand, and the Non-governmental Communication Council for the Chinese and Tibetan.    

The conference was attended by around 50 participants consisting of human rights defenders and victims of the Chinese Communist government, such as Tibetans, Uyghurs, Falun Gong practitioners, Chinese pro-democracy activists, and individuals from Hong Kong and Taiwan.       

The purpose of the conference was to foster common ground and mutual understanding by advancing Tibet’s Middle Way Approach, promoting transformation toward constitutional democracy in China, discussing the current human rights situation in regions under the control of Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and to share experiences and strategies for advancing common goals.      

The participants issued a statement after the conference making following appeals:     

• Condemn  the ongoing systematic and gross violations of human rights by the CCP and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in regions under its control, particularly in Tibet, East Turkestan, Southern Mongolia and Hong Kong;

• Extend full support to the Middle Way Approach of the Central Tibetan Administration as a pragmatic solution to the Sino-Tibetan conflict and call upon the PRC to initiate meaningful negotiations to resolve the longstanding issue without pre-conditions;

• Reiterate  that the Tibetan people have the exclusive right to manage their religious affairs. Only His Holiness the Dalai Lama has the sole authority to determine the process of recognising His reincarnation. The PRC government and CCP officials have no right to interfere in Tibetan Buddhist religious traditions;

• Express immense gratitude to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his lifelong contributions to non-violence, compassion, religious harmony, human values, environmental preservation, and conflict resolution through dialogue. Recognising the milestones in His legacy, we commit to hosting a larger conference later this year in celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday;

• Committed to work together to strengthen our alliance, share our perspectives, and explore effective strategies in accomplishing our shared objectives;

• Call on the Australian government to implement Magnitsky-style sanctions against Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses;

• Urge the Australian government and its officials to press China during bilateral and multilateral talks to respect human rights, religious freedom, and release all prisoners of conscience.     

-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Canberra