Tibet Issue
The so-called "Tibet Issue" is always the meeting point of two issues.
The first issue is that of sovereignty, which is to safeguard the unity of the nation and to oppose separatism, and the second issue is tat of social reform, which leads to progress and a bright future and to oppose restoration of the old feudal system.
Regarding the issue of sovereignty, the answer is clear. Any request or proposal regarding separation from China, even in disguised forms, should be abandoned and opposed. There is no way for Tibet to be independent, semi-independent or have any disguised form of independence.
No country in the world supports the "independence of Tibet". For instance, during this year, the Dalai Lama made a speech at the British Parliament, deliberately talking about "the great and profound historical relationship between Tibet and England", and saying that "the United Kingdom has to carry out the mission of making history in terms of the Tibet issue". However, the British government soon after declared that it does not support the independence of Tibet. The Dalai Lama and his followers had to reluctantly announce to the public that they "do not ask for independence."
Regarding the second issue of social reform, the answer seems complicated and confusing. On the surface, the Dalai Lama has claimed a "middle way" which is "not to look for independence but for autonomy"; in reality, he has pushed religion to its extreme, equated religion with ethnicity, and combined religion and politics. Doing so is no more than a way to indirectly seek the "independence of Tibet" at the cost of sacrificing the basic rights of the Tibetans and impeding the development of Tibet, and to cause Tibet to return to the theocratic serf system. Such a scheme wears a sacred halo, makes a pretext of "seeking the benefits of the Tibetans", makes up a legend about "Shangri-La", and is also disguised with many lovely concepts, such as democracy, human rights and religious liberty. Nevertheless, it is not difficult for the Westerners who understand the history of the darkness and despotism of theocracy in Western Europe during the medieval period to understand that this is far from what has been imaged as the "Shangri-La".
Recently, their scheme was disguised under a legal packaging, by distorting the autonomous laws of the ethnic regions of China and releasing the "Memo for the Authentic Autonomy for All Tibetans" to drum for the so-called "real autonomy" of the "Tibetan Tibet".
The ethnic majority scatters and the minorities gather, which is the basic situation for the 56 nationalities in China. All of the ethnic groups in China belong to a diverse and well-connected community, and form a "golden principle" of "three non-separations". The Han cannot be separated from the ethnic minorities and vice versa as well as the ethnic groups cannot be separated from one another. This principle has led to a reality that ethnic autonomy is closely related with regional autonomy.
What are the true intentions of "real ethnic autonomy" with unrestrained "autonomy of a single ethnic group" so as to segregate other ethnicities from that area?
What are the real motives of trying to combine into "a pure and larger Tibetan area" an "ethic group, religion and culture" at the cost of violating the "three non-separation" principle?
What they really want is not Tibet's "autonomy", but the "suicide" of the Tibetans caused by ethnic segregation, ethnic antagonism, and separation. Has not the "Tibetan Youth Congress" clamored for "fighting for independence" through "suicides"?
There is no way to separate Tibet from China, and no way for Tibet to return to the feudal serf system. Neither the tide of history, the Tibetan people nor the "holy land" of "Shangri-La"will allow it to happen.
Only if Tibetans have a happy and prosperous life like other ethnic groups, can Tibet become what was described by the American author James Hilton in his novel, Lost Horizon, as "an everlasting peaceful land".
I believe the dream of "Shangri-La" will continue to shine only through the process of modernization and common prosperity of Tibetans and other ethnic groups in China.
(China Daily)
Vocabulary:
Tibetan Sutra: 藏經(jīng)
Tibetan Script Banners: 藏教經(jīng)幡
feudal serfdom: 封建農(nóng)奴制
（英語點津 Helen 編輯）
