Chinese policies in Tibet: should India remain concerned?

Abstract

India has long been engaged with the Tibet issue, though in recent years this engagement tends to focus more on strategic considerations, as some critics question the costs, in terms of Sino-Indian relations, of hosting Tibetan exiles. These costs are said to arise out of tense relations over border disputes, security concerns and trade. These strategic considerations may tend to drown out evaluation of the substantive situation that has produced the Sino-Tibetan impasse - which is the focus of this article. With its long relationship with Tibet, India can ill afford to ignore deep-seated social justice problems in the community that stretches along most of its northern border, especially if Chinese policies in Tibet are likely to increase or decrease refugee flows. This article offers an overview of the Sino-Tibetan dispute and efforts at resolution. After the March 2008 uprising, in a Chinese effort at damage control in the lead up to the Olympics, three quick Sino-Tibetan meetings took place, in May, July and October. In the October meeting the Tibetans produced a 'Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People,' which the Chinese side quickly rejected. In a November plenary meeting of representatives of the worldwide Tibetan exile community, which took place in Dharamsala, India, Tibetans resolved to push on with their efforts to achieve autonomy. With China knocking at the door, these developments will continue to demonstrate the importance of India’s fundamental commitments to the Tibetan people.