Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Sept. 10: Tibetan independence group, Tibetan National Congress (TNC) has strongly condemned five Tibetan organisations for publicly “welcoming” Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of his expected visit to New Delhi for the BRICS Summit on September 12–13, accusing them of using a “language of honour and deference” towards the Chinese leader while Tibet remains under repressive Chinese colonial rule.
The statement titled “DICTATOR XI JINPING IS NOT WELCOME,” came a day after the Central Tibet (U-Tsang) Regional Association, Kham Regional Association, Amdo Regional Association, Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA), and Global Middle Way Movement held a press conference at the Press Club of India in New Delhi on September 8.
The organisations presented an open letter addressed to Xi as “His Excellency” and welcomed his visit, urging Beijing to resume meaningful dialogue on the Tibet issue under the Middle Way Approach. They also called on the Chinese leadership to use Xi’s visit as an opportunity to open a “new meaningful engagement” in Sino-Tibet relations.
The statement and the conciliatory language used in addressing Xi have since triggered considerable discussion and criticism online, with some Tibetan netizens questioning the decision to publicly “welcome” a Chinese leader while Tibetans inside occupied Tibet continue to face repression and political coercion.
The TNC argued that the language of welcome was fundamentally at odds with the political reality faced by Tibetans under brutal Chinese occupation. “Some of these organizations have rightly condemned this law but to condemn the policy while honoring its architect is politically incoherent and morally indefensible,” TNC stated, referring to China’s so-called “Ethnic Unity and Progress Law,” which the organisation labelled it as “Genocide Law.”
The organisation accused the Chinese government under Xi of intensifying efforts to suppress Tibetan identity through surveillance, political detention, religious restrictions, dissent-related prosecutions, and the colonial-style boarding schools.
The TNC further stated that Tibetans inside Tibet are subjected to compulsory displays of loyalty towards Xi under conditions of surveillance and fear, while those who resist Chinese colonial rule continue to bear significant personal consequences. “For those of us living in the free world, to voluntarily honor and welcome Xi is not diplomacy but a deliberate political choice,” the statement said, adding that such gestures “dishonor the courage, resistance, and sacrifice” of Tibetans inside occupied Tibet.
The statement highlighted the “recent sacrifice” of TNC NYNJ Chapter President Pawo Lobga Rangzen, whose final message called on fellow Tibetans to continue the struggle for independence. The TNC said the organisations’ decision to welcome Xi was particularly “unacceptable” in light of the late martyr’s death and the sacrifices of generations of Tibetans who have given their lives for freedom and independence. Invoking these sacrifices, the TNC said the political aspirations expressed by Tibetans who have resisted Chinese colonial rule should not be “rewritten, diminished, or surrendered for diplomatic convenience.”
The organisation also announced that its New York and New Jersey chapter plans to stage what it calls the “Rangzen Walk” on September 24, from the United Nations headquarters in New York to the White House in Washington, D.C., to coincide with Xi’s expected visit to the United States. The protest, it said, will carry the message that Tibet remains occupied and that Tibetans have the right to determine their own political future, including independence.
At the same time, the TNC acknowledged the right of Tibetan organisations and individuals to advocate the Middle Way Policy, which seeks genuine autonomy for Tibet within the People’s Republic of China (PRC) rather than independence. However, it rejected any suggestion that advocacy of the Middle Way gives an organisation the authority to speak on behalf of all Tibetans.
“TNC respects the right of Tibetans to advocate the Middle Way Policy, but no organization has the right to speak for all Tibetans, declare that Tibetans do not seek independence, or erase it from our national struggle,” the statement said.
The TNC concluded its statement by drawing a distinction between dialogue and deference, arguing that engagement with Beijing need not entail political submission. “Dialogue does not require submission. Diplomacy does not require gratitude to an occupying power,” it said.
