Obama meets Dalai Lama, angering China
Dalai Lama waves as he arrives at a hotel in Washington. - Reuters pic
Raising issues that quickly stoked China’s ire, Obama used his first presidential meeting with the Dalai Lama to press Beijing, under international criticism for its Tibet policies, to preserve Tibetan identity and respect human rights there.
Obama sat down with the Dalai Lama — who is reviled by the Chinese government as a dangerous separatist but admired by many around the world as a man of peace — in the face of wider tensions over US weapons sales to Taiwan, China’s currency practices and Internet censorship.
While defying Beijing’s demands to scrap the talks and showing a willingness to irritate an increasingly assertive China, the White House took pains to keep the encounter low-key, barring media coverage of the meeting. But it later posted a photo on its official website of the two men side by side in conversation.
Beijing clearly was not placated, saying it was “strongly dissatisfied” about the meeting and expected Washington to take steps to put bilateral relations back on a healthy course.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said the meeting between Obama and the Dalai Lama “violated the US government’s repeated acceptance that Tibet is a part of China and it does not support Tibetan independence”.
Beijing did not threaten retaliation and its response was in line with past denunciations of US dealings with the Dalai Lama. But the visit could complicate Obama’s efforts to secure China’s help on key issues such as imposing tougher sanctions on Iran and forging a new global accord on climate change.
Senior Chinese military officers recently had proposed their country possibly sell part of its huge stockpile of US bonds to punish Washington for the a proposed US$6.4 billion (RM21.79 billion) arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province.
National Endowment for Democracy is an NGO set up by the American Govt in collaboration with the CIA to give grants to various countries for the purpose of freeing the country.
China (Tibet) 2008
Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet
$60,000
To provide support to Tibetan political prisoners and educate Tibetans in exile about human rights conditions in China. Gu-Chu-Sum will run a school for former political prisoners, support serving and former political prisoners in Tibet, sponsor a lecture tour and human rights workshops, maintain a human rights desk, and publish a bi-monthly human rights newsletter.
International Campaign for Tibet (ICT)
$53,000
To improve understanding of human rights and democracy-related concerns in Tibet among Chinese, both in China and abroad, and increase communication between Tibetans and Chinese. ICT will facilitate interaction between Tibetan and Chinese officials, academics, and others through meetings, conferences, and the publication of a Chinese-language newsletter and website.
Khawa Karpo -Tibet Culture Centre
$25,500 *
To provide news and analysis to the Tibetan public and promote greater discussion and debate on current issues related to Tibet and Tibetans. Khawa Karpo will publish the weekly Tibetan-language newspaper, Bo-Kyi-Bang-Chen (Tibet Express), and maintain a tri-lingual website.
International Tibet Support Network (ITSN)
$45,000 *
To coordinate and build the capacity of the worldwide Tibet movement through a series of meetings, trainings, and workshops. ITSN will coordinate international campaigns focused on the 2008 Beijing Olympics, human rights, and environmental and economic rights in Tibet.
Social Economic and Cultural Development Fund
$20,000 *
To increase Tibetans’ access to information by maintaining a library and learning center. The Fund will sponsor language and computer classes, hold discussion meetings for the general public, and maintain an Internet café to provide greater access to information for the community.
Tibetan Literacy Society
$30,000*
To provide the Tibetan public with independent and accurate information on developments in Tibet and in the exile community, and promote open discussion among intellectuals and a general readership on civic issues, including human rights and democracy. The Tibetan Literacy Society will publish and distribute throughout the Tibetan community in exile and in Tibet Bod-Kyi-Dus-Bab (Tibet Times), a Tibetan-language newspaper published three times a month.
Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre (TPPRC)
$25,000*
To improve the understanding of elected Tibetan parliamentarians-in-exile on the Tibetan Charter and institutions of the Tibetan government-in-exile as well as the structure and functions of the Chinese political and legal systems. TPPRC will organize a six-day workshop for elected members of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile to discuss and explore the Chinese and Tibetan legal and political systems.
Despite China's firm and repeated opposition, U.S. President Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama in Washington on Thursday.
ReplyDeleteObama pledged to build "a positive, cooperative and comprehensive U.S.-China relationship for the 21st century" during his high-profile China visit last November, but his pledge has failed to hold water merely three months later.
International observers hold that, through the meeting, Obama wants to achieve his multiple political goals at home and abroad, while the Dalai Lama pursues his illusion to split China in the guise of religion.
Then what's the real motive for Thursday's meeting between the two?
TIBET CARD -- WASHINGTON'S UNCHANGED POLICY TOWARD CHINA
In 1991, then U.S. President George H. W. Bush became the first U.S. president that met the Dalai Lama. There had been 11 meetings between U.S. presidents and the Dalai Lama before Obama took office.
Obama promised to bring change to America during his election campaign, yet change is not seen on the issue of meeting the Dalai Lama. Why?
The Japanese monthly magazine Choice was right to the point in describing Obama's move as playing the Tibet Card in an attempt to get out of the administration's political and economic plight at home and abroad.
By playing the Tibet Card at such a juncture, Obama is trying to shift the attention of both supporters and opponents when he is faced with a sagging economy and a much tougher midterm election for the Democrats.
Ted Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, said Obama was trying to hold sway and win over the political constituencies in both the Democrat and Republican camps before November.
He said that Obama was under "considerable pressure from domestic political constituencies," including pressure from his own party on issues related to Tibet.
"The meeting is a way to gain favor with those constituencies" that "support the Dalai Lama and are not fond of China," he added.
In the view of Martin Jacques, a senior scholar at the London School of Economics, Obama's move reflected his worries about the decreasing U.S. influence and the increasing influence of China on the international arena.
The global financial crisis has led to a change in the balance of power. While the strength of the United States is declining, China is on the rise, he said.
Pierre Picquart, an expert on China from the University of Paris, said Obama's meeting with political figures such as the Dalai Lama was intended to set up a barrier to China's development while securing the U.S. dominance in the world.
DALAI LAMA -- TRICK TO PURSUE SEPARATISM UNDER RELIGIOUS DISGUISE
The Dalai Lama has all along tried by every means to meet Western politicians, U.S. presidents in particular. But to further his political end, he has put on a religious disguise to win acceptance and favor in the West.
Ted Carpenter said the Dalai Lama's campaign with the West "seems designed to generate international diplomatic pressure for, at the least, a greater-than-now political autonomy for Tibet or even for outright independence from China."
Pierre Picquart, an expert on China from the University of Paris, said Obama's meeting with political figures such as the Dalai Lama was intended to set up a barrier to China's development while securing the U.S. dominance in the world.
ReplyDeleteDALAI LAMA -- TRICK TO PURSUE SEPARATISM UNDER RELIGIOUS DISGUISE
The Dalai Lama has all along tried by every means to meet Western politicians, U.S. presidents in particular. But to further his political end, he has put on a religious disguise to win acceptance and favor in the West.
Ted Carpenter said the Dalai Lama's campaign with the West "seems designed to generate international diplomatic pressure for, at the least, a greater-than-now political autonomy for Tibet or even for outright independence from China."
Pierre Picquart said that the Westerners were sometimes so captivated by the Dalai Lama's preaching of "religion" and "freedom" that they took it for granted without looking into his real intention behind.
Swayed by an urge to please the public, Western leaders, more often than not, would make the unwise decision to meet the Dalai Lama, said the French scholar.
The Dalai Lama some times makes undisguised political advocacy while meeting Western politicians though he claimed to be merely a religious figure.
In 1992, for instance, he sent a letter to Bill Clinton, who just sworn in as the U.S. president, overtly trying to enlist his support for "independence of Tibet."
Since the March 14 Lhasa riot in 2008, the Dalai Lama has visited Western countries far more often,trying to woo more Western politicians.
But Ingo Nentwig, a renowned ethnologist from Germany, noted that the international community is becoming more skeptical of the Dalai Lama's political intention, and that more Westerners are getting to know more truth about Tibet-related issues.
As a result, the Dalai Lama has to resort to more PR campaigns to turn the table, said the German ethnologist, who has traveled to Tibet several times to conduct field studies.
"It's like an ad campaign for a sordid product. The campaign perhaps boosts sales for a while, but eventually consumers will find out that they have bought a sham product and will in time turn away from it," he said.
AN UNWISE MOVE -- PRODUCT OF COLD WAR MENTALITY
Obama is not the first to meet the Dalai Lama as a sitting U.S. president. Three others have done so since 1991.
This is because the Tibet Card is one up the sleeves of U.S. leaders who are still influenced by the Cold War mentality when dealing with China. There are also other cards in the stack.
International observers believe that so long as their Cold War mentality remain unchanged, the U.S.leaders are inclined to play these cards against China time and again.
"These figures would not have been welcomed or known in the West had the Western media not hyped them up as 'martyrs' or 'victims'," said Ingo Nentwig.
He said that some political forces in the West tend to view China through a colonialist perspective, and is reluctant to face the reality that China, as a sovereign state, is not to be budged by the West on any issues.
Obama has cashed in on his campaign promise for changes. Right now there is one more change for him to make that will benefit not only his party and himself, but China and the United States and the world at large as well for that matter. That is to discard the Cold War mentality and adopt a new and constructive way of thinking in handling U.S.-China ties.
Since the two sides have already set forth the guidelines for their partnership and cooperation in the Beijing Joint Declaration, what President Obama needs to do is to flesh out the guidelines with concrete actions.
Editor: Mu Xuequan
Both China and US leaders are prisoners of the political forces in their countries. They cannot but continue to butt heads on the Tibet issue. This issue will never get solved.
ReplyDeleteSO forget about solving it. Just lob nuclear bombs at each other and end this world.