The delegates invited, the agenda unveiled… indicate China’s efforts to convert Tibet (renamed recently as Xizang) into the fulcrum of sub-regional initiatives as well as to expand China’s influence… over a period of time, 7.5 million Han Chinese have come into Tibet, drastically altering the demographics of the region and making Tibetans a minority in their own land. China introduced “strike hard” policies of repression and banned the Dalai Lama’s photos or any activity seen as “splittism”. Beijing has sought to take control of the Dalai Lama’s succession by insisting on a “golden urn” process to select the next Dalai Lama.
Srikanth Kondapalli
With a forum for the trans-Himalayan region – the ‘China-Xizang Himalayan Forum’ — Beijing is firstly sending a signal of consolidating and dominating the “roof of the world” in a post-Dalai Lama scenario, secondly encircling India in a multi-dimensional way by following one of its 36 ancient stratagems of “hexiao kongda” (cooperate with the small to counter the big) by providing incentives to South Asian countries to cumulatively exert pressure on New Delhi, and thirdly, obfuscating the impending environmental disaster through its modernisation efforts.
Pointedly, the China-Xizang Himalayan Forum was initiated at Nyingchi prefecture in Tibet, opposite Arunachal Pradesh, in 2018. Its fourth meeting was held in early July this year. The delegates invited, the agenda unveiled, and the larger context, indicate China’s efforts to convert Tibet (renamed recently as Xizang) into the fulcrum of sub-regional initiatives as well as to expand China’s influence in the neighbourhood.
The first forum meeting in September 2018 was attended by representatives from Nepal, Pakistan and other countries, with the agenda focused on economy and tourism. The next three meetings had a focus on environmental issues, one of the weakest issues for China in view of its exploitation of Tibet’s resources….
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