STATEMENT BY SPECIAL
ENVOY OF HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA, KASUR LODI GYARI,
HEAD OF THE DELEGATION WHICH VISITED CHINA IN JANUARY 2010
 Envoy
Kelsang Gyaltsen and I, accompanied by two members of our Task
Force, Tenzin P. Atisha and Bhuchung K. Tsering, and Jigmey Passang
from the Task Force Secretariat, visited China from January 26 to
31, 2010, for the ninth round of discussions with representatives of
the Chinese leadership. This round was held after a gap of 15 months.
We returned to Dharamsala on February 1, 2010 and have formally
reported today to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kalon Tripa Samdhong
Rinpoche, as well as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan
Parliament-in-Exile.
In Beijing, we had a session with Mr. Du Qinglin, Vice Chairman of
the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference as well as
Minister of the Central United Front Work Department, on January 30.
We had a day-long discussion with Executive Vice Minister Zhu Weiqun
and Vice Minister Sithar on January 31, 2010. Mr. Nyima Tsering, a
Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region People’s Congress, also
participated in these meetings.
We first arrived in Changsha, capital of Hunan Province, on January
26, 2010. Before beginning our programmes there, we formally
presented to the Central United Front Work Department, a Note
relating to the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for All Tibetans that
we had given during the previous eighth round of dialogue in
November 2008. The Note contained seven points that addressed the
fundamental issues raised by the Chinese leadership during the
eighth round and some constructive suggestions for a way forward in
the dialogue process. The seven points include respecting
sovereignty and territorial integrity of the PRC, respecting the
Constitution of the PRC, respecting the “Three Adherences,”
respecting the hierarchy and authority of the Chinese Central
Government, Concerns raised by the Central Government on specific
competencies referred to the Memorandum, recognising the core issue,
and offering His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s cooperation for a
mutually beneficial solution.
The Note made clear that His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other
members of the exiled leadership have no personal demands to make.
His Holiness’ concern is with the rights and welfare of the Tibetan
people. Therefore, the fundamental issue that needs to be resolved
is the faithful implementation of genuine autonomy that will enable
the Tibetan people to govern themselves in accordance with their own
genius and needs.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaks on behalf of the Tibetan people,
with whom he has a deep and historical relationship and one based on
full trust. It cannot be disputed that His Holiness legitimately
represents the Tibetan people, and he is certainly viewed as their
true representative and spokesperson by them. It is indeed only by
means of dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama that the Tibetan
issue can be resolved. The recognition of this reality is important.
We emphasised the point that His Holiness’ engagement for the cause
of Tibet is not for the purpose of claiming certain personal rights
or political position for himself, nor attempting to stake claims
for the Tibetan Administration in Exile.
We called upon the
Chinese side to stop the baseless accusations against His
Holiness and labeling him a separatist. Instead, we urge the
Chinese leadership to work with him to find a mutually
acceptable solution to the Tibetan problem based on the
Memorandum. This will ensure stability, unity and the
development of a harmonious society.
The Chinese side laid out “Four Not to Indulge In” points to
outline their position. They also provided us with a detailed
briefing on recent developments relating to Tibet, particularly
on the important Fifth Tibet Work Forum. They said the Forum
decided to further improve the livelihood of Tibetans in the
Tibet Autonomous Region and all Tibetan areas, specifically in
public services, such as education, medical services, and
environmental protection. Based on the initial reports that we
had of the Forum, we welcomed the issues it has taken up to
improve the lives of the Tibetan people specially in rural areas.
We welcome the fact that the Fifth Tibet Work Forum has looked
into the issues of development in all Tibetan areas – The Tibet
Autonomous Region as well as other Tibetan areas. It is our
strong belief that all the Tibetan areas must be under a uniform
policy and a single administration. If we take away the
political slogans, many of the issues that have been prioritised
by the Forum are similar to the basic needs of the Tibetan
people outlined in our Memorandum.
A major difference between the two sides is the conflicting
perspectives on the current situation inside Tibet. So, in
order to have a common understanding of the real situation, we
suggested a common effort to study the actual reality on the
ground, in the spirit of seeking truth from facts. This will
help both the sides to move beyond each others’ contentions.
In the coming days we will be studying the issues raised by our
counterparts, including the proceedings of the Fifth Tibet Work
Forum and the “Four Not to Indulge In” points. As we had urged
during our meeting, it is my sincere hope that the Chinese
leadership will also seriously reflect on the issues raised by
us. Since His Holiness the Dalai Lama has consistently made his
position clear on the future of Tibet within the framework of
the People’s Republic of China, given political will on the
Chinese leadership’s side we do not see any reason why we cannot
find a common ground on these issues. We would like to
reiterate His Holiness’s continued willingness to work with the
Chinese Central Government in this so that the Tibetan people
can regain their pride and dignity and the People’s Republic of
China’s stability and unity are ensured.
We thank our hosts,
the Hunan United Front, Beijing United Front, and the Central
United Front Work Department, for their hospitality during this
visit.
February 2, 2010
Dharamsala |
