GEO - POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE: TIBET

Contents:

Mountains Lakes Rivers Natural Resources

• Strategic Importance of Tibet Tibet in Indo-China Relations

• Geography of Tibet

• Future: The Road Ahead

• Tibet and China : Two Distinct Views

Geography of Tibet

Kashmir Region of

India

TIBET

CENTRAL CHINA PLAIN

NEPAL, INDIA, BHUTAN

Gurla Mandhata

Gyachung Kang

Mount Kailash

Namcha Barwa

Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon

RIVERS RIVERS ORIGINATING ORIGINATING

FROMFROM

TWO DISTINCT VIEWS

The Chinese Version:

Tibet a part of China.

The Royal wedding

The claim in the “White Paper”.

During Manchu Rule

17 point agreement.

The Tibetan Version:

Tibet a free country

The Royal wedding

The treaty in 821 AD.

During Manchu Rule

Gun point agreement.

The Qing Emperor’s respect for 5th Dalai Lama

Result of China’s Invasion into Tibet

Before After

Strategic Importance of Tibet

Tibet in Sino-Indian Relations

Factors affecting the relations

Border Dispute after China’s invasion of Tibet

Feeling of Insecurity for India due to infrastructural development in Tibet by China

Presence of Dalai Lama and a large Tibetan population

China’s aggressive territorial claims and its nexus with Pakistan

Historical Mistrust and a sense of complex

- The world is least bothered

The way forward

- India’s biggest concern

- China’s check for south Asia (India)

Tibet

The future of Tibet is in the hands of its youth living inside and outside Tibet

The future of Sino-Indian relations also depends on this.

1. The Tibetan people shall unite and drive out imperialist aggressive forces from Tibet. The Tibetan people shall return to the family of the motherland, the People’s Republic of China.

The Agreement of The Central People’s Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet

 

2. The local government of Tibet shall actively assist the People’s Liberation Army to enter Tibet and consolidate the national defence.

4. The central authorities will not alter the existing political system in Tibet. The central authorities also will not alter the established status, functions and powers of the Dalai Lama. Officials of various ranks will hold office as usual.

5. The established status, functions and powers of the Bainqen Erdini shall be maintained.

3. In accordance with the policy towards nationalities laid down in the Common Programme of the Chinese Political Consultative Conference, the Tibetan people have the right to exercise national regional autonomy under the unified leadership of the Central People’s Government.

6. By the established status, functions and powers of the Dalai Lama and of Bainqen Erdini are meant the status, functions and powers of 13th Dalai Lama and the 9th Bainqen when they were in friendly and amicable relations with each other.

7. The policy of freedom of religious belief laid down in the Common Programme of the Chinese Political Consultative Conference shall be carried out. The religious beliefs, customs and habits of the Tibetan people shall be respected and lama monasteries shall be protected. The central authorities will not effect a change in the income of the monasteries.

8. Tibetan troops shall be recognized by stages into the People’s Liberation Army and become a part of the national defence forces of the People’s Republic of China.

9. The spoken and written language and school education of the Tibetan nationality shall be developed step by step in accordance with the actual conditions in Tibet. 10. Tibetan agriculture, livestock raising, industry and commerce shall be improved step by step and the people’s livelihood shall be improved step by step in accordance with the actual conditions in Tibet.11. In matters related to various reforms in Tibet there will be no compulsion on the part of the central authorities. The Local Government of Tibet should carry out reforms of its own accord and demands for reform raised by the people shall be settled by means of consultation with the leading personnel of Tibet.

12 . In so far as former pro-imperialist and pro-Kuomingtang officials resolutely sever relations with imperialism and the Kuomingtang and do not engage in sabotage or resistance, they may continue to hold office irrespective of their past.

13. The People’s Liberation Army entering Tibet shall abide by all the above-mentioned policies and shall also be fair in all buying and selling and shall not arbitrarily take a single needle and thread from the people.

14. The Central People’s Government shall conduct the centralized handling of all external affairs of Tibet and there will be peaceful coexistence with neighbouring countries and the establishment and development of fair commercial and trading relations with them on the basis of equality, mutual benefit for territory and sovereignty.

15. In order to ensure the implementation of this agreement, the Central People’s Government shall set up a military and administrative committee and a military area headquarters in Tibet and apart from the personnel sent there by the Central People’s Government shall absorb as many local Tibetan personnel as possible to take part in the work.

16. Funds needed by the military and administrative committee the military area headquarters and the People’s Liberation Army entering Tibet shall be provided by the Central People’s Government. The Local Government of Tibet will assist the People’s Liberation Army in the purchase and transport of food, fodder and other daily necessities.

17. This agreement shall come into force immediately after signature and seals are affixed to it.

16. Funds needed by the military and administrative committee the military area headquarters and the People’s Liberation Army entering Tibet shall be provided by the Central People’s Government. The Local Government of Tibet will assist the People’s Liberation Army in the purchase and transport of food, fodder and other daily necessities.

17. This agreement shall come into force immediately after signature and seals are affixed to it.

Signed in Beijing on the 23rd of May 1951.

1. Diane Wolff, “Tibet Unconquered: An Epic Struggle for Freedom” Palgrave Macmillan 2010. 2. VP Malhotra, “Tibetan Conundrum”, Knowledge World, 2006.

3. SK Sharma, “History and Geography of Tibet”, Anmol Publications.

4. Brahma Chellaney, “Water: Asia’s New battleground”, Amazon.com.

Books to be Read