The People’s Republic of China’ continues spreading its daily dose of propaganda on an occupied country. Those who love freedom should respond with the truth.
by Marco Respinti
On March 28, 2024, the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) bombastically celebrated what it calls the “democratic reform day.” It is really the anniversary of the event that sealed and secured the PRC’s annexation of Tibet, the end of its autonomy, and the establishment of a military and political rule that developed into the cultural genocide of an entire people. Once a sovereign land, Tibet was crushed by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the PRC’s armed forces, after the ill-fated patriotic revolt of March 10, 1959, which also forced the Dalai Lama’s to take refuge in India—a poignant symbol of a silenced leader torn apart from his people and their heritage.
One of the reasons brought forth by the PRC to justify its bloody and unlawful annexation of a sovereign foreign country was the “need” to put an end to the state of “servitude” in which the “feudal” (in the PRC’s ideological language meaning “oppressive”) and “theocratic” government of the Dalai Lama allegedly constrained its people. So, Beijing holds, the intervention of the “liberating” troops “freed” an entire people and opened the way to a “bright” future. The nightmare of what became the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) began there. The language used by the PRC conquering that land is part of the ideological colonization aimed to erase Tibet’s identity through the multiple weapons of Sinicization.
First, the “Tibet” of the Chinese TAR is only roughly a third of ethnic and cultural Tibet, i.e., the real Tibet. It was divided to obey to the administrative logic of the regime and to implement the ancient, and never out of fashion, motto of conquerors and tyrants, “divide et impera,” a Latin sentence meaning “divide your enemy’s forces to better impose you own rule.” Second, the adjective “autonomous” in TAR is simply ridiculous, as everyone can see daily. Third, the PRC calls TAR “Xizang,” a Chinese name meaning “Western Zang,” which is only another blatant piece of propaganda in its never-ending effort to weaponize geography and even arbitrarily interfere in foreign countries by changing toponyms. “Xizang” has never been the name of Tibet and its use is another subtle way that the PRC uses to convince the world of the “truth” of its approach.
But, most important of all, the idea that Tibet was a segregated and iron-fisted country under the despotic rule of the Dalai Lama, and was “in need of liberation,” is just a blatant lie. Studies are available to rebuke this fake news, and “Bitter Winter” will review them in a later article.
A growing support
Truly, the official PRC’s narrative conceals a harsh reality characterized by the systematic suppression of Tibetan culture, religion, and identity.
For example, Beijing’s extravagant festivities held in newly established border villages along India and Bhutan represent a calculated assertion of dominance. While purportedly part of a “poverty alleviation initiative,” (and it is known that PRC’s leader, President XI Jinping, claims to have ended poverty only by tampering with parameters) these villages serve a dual purpose as strategic strongholds to bolster the PRC’s control over disputed territories. Behind the façade of development lies in fact a dark truth of Tibetan rights curtailed, language suppressed, and dissent stifled.
With the construction of 624 such villages in the border regions, China not only flaunts its power but also tramples upon the memory of a once-free Tibet. While mouthpieces of the regime like the “Global Times” may paint a picture of “enthusiasm,” Tibetans know the sad reality. And not only them.
Growing global support for Tibet is evident in the recent passage of the “Resolve Tibet Act,” on February 15, 2024, by the US House of Representatives, which is the latest wave of support by Washington for the Tibetan people. This comes after two other important US resolutions the “Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act” enacted in 2018, which promoted the State Department to ban PRC’s officials from entering the United States due to their role in restricting Americans’ access to TAR, as well as the 2020 “Tibetan Policy and Support Act,” sanctioning PRC officials if they carry out threats to interfere in the succession of the Dalai Lama.
Tibet has also seen growing support from other countries. The 9th International Conference of Tibet Support Groups in February this year brought together Tibet advocates from over 40 countries.
Real democracy works
Now, in Dharamsala, India, “Tibet-in-exile” proved to be an experiment in real democracy though in precarious conditions. Over 70% of eligible Tibetans—living in more than twenty-five countries—voted in the most recent elections for the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and for the Sikyong, or president, of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). The Dalai Lama led Tibetans through the process of democratization, then stepped down from politics in 2011, turning authority over to CTA leaders.
The Dalai Lama remains the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and one of the most admired figures in the entire world. His Holiness has received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and the US Congressional Gold Medal in 2007, as well as many other honours. Through his books and public talks, he has attracted countless people around the globe, introducing them to the richness and wisdom of Tibetan culture. Ordinary Tibetans have also made their mark in exile as politicians, artists, writers, scientists, medical professionals, journalists, and more. Other Tibetans serve as elected parliamentarians, judges, and more, while Tibetan exiles have produced acclaimed novels, films, and works of art.
It is then evident how much the PRC’s attempts to erase Tibetans’ prominence in exile stand in stark contrast to its efforts to remove their presence within Tibet. As highlighted in a recent International Campaign for Tibet’s report, China systematically excludes Tibetans from positions of power in TAR and the national government. Perhaps the most egregious and recent example of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) staggering politics of harsh sinicization of Tibetans is the plague of the PRC’s state-run system of boarding schools in TAR, which have forcibly separated over one million Tibetan children from their families, language, religion, and culture.
It is a daily battle between the lies of the Chinese regime and the plain truth that today is easy to see yet submerged by an avalanche of propaganda, which those who love freedom should counter daily.
