The seventh round of Sino-Tibetan Dialogue
This is a possible scenario of the seventh round of discussion with China.
[The Tibetan Delegation led by special envoy Jigdrel Chogley Namgyal Rinpoche left for Beijing from Hong Kong at 10:00 am. On arrival in Beijing, the Deputy Head of the United Front Work Department and other leaders received the Delegation. The Delegation had refreshments at Beijing's Nationalities Restaurant and then checked in at the Dragon Hotel. An official letter was received there, stating that the meeting will convene in the lower building of the Nationalities Affairs Office, United Front Work Department, on April 3, 2008 14:00 hrs. When Mr. Tenzin Kelsang asked about the Beijing representatives for the meeting, the interpreter checked the seven-paged green covered booklet with the red flag on it and then said that they were not listed. Jigdrel Rinpoche came out of the bathroom and just when Mr. Tenzin Kelsang was about to report about the missing names of the Chinese Delegation, Jigdrel Rinpoche received a call from the United States of America that went on until 16:30 Beijing time. At 17:00, the Nationalities Affairs Office sent an invitation for dinner with a verbal message that Mr. Baba Lodoe Kunsang would be present. During the dinner, no prolonged discussion took place. Before leaving, Mr. Baba Lodoe Kunsang shook hands with the delegation members and then said to Jigdrel Rinpoche that considering both the time and the situation, you need not be afraid, for we will meet again. ]
T O P S E C R E T
Memorandum of Conversation
Participants
Tibetan Delegation: Special envoy Jigdrel Chogley Namgyal, envoy Mr. Tenzin Kelsang, DIIR Secretary Mr. Mingyur Dorje, Interpreter Mr. Khawa Passang, Drafter Mr. Tenzin Chonjor.
China: Mr. Hua Guoqin, Deputy Head of the CPC’s United Work Front Department; Ha sen Thok Mey of the Nationalities Affairs Office; Thinley Kunkhyap Rinpoche, Vice-chair of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); and Mr. Qiamba Puncog, an official of the United Front Work Department.
Date and Time: Thursday, April 03, 2008, 14:00-17:00
Place: Lower Building, Nationalities Affairs Office, United Front Work Department, Beijing, People’s Republic of China.
(After a formal greeting between both parties, everyone took their seats and were served water.)
Jigdrel Rinpoche: Beijing knows very well. I can proudly say that if Beijing considers the demand of His Holiness and the Tibetan people for their constitutional rights with love and respect, the issue of Tibet will be resolved… (Jigdrel Rinpoche is abruptly interrupted by Hua Guoqin.)
Comrade Hua Guoqin: (Furiously banging his fist on the table.) YOU look into the past. We are embarrassed at having to meet you in front of the eyes of people of China and the leaders of CCP. Look at how many separatist activities you have carried against China. Moreover, you damaged the atmosphere for dialogue when you celebrated the awarding of the Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama, and you have complied with US anti-China forces. During the award ceremony, Senators and Congressmen demonstrated disgust for China. For example, although we have opened our doors for the Dalai Lama to return whenever he wishes, the US politicians, without having any prior knowledge of our history, started shouting that China should welcome the Dalai Lama back to Tibet. Even major Tibetan religious leaders from the various sects were shown on TV shamelessly boasting about the Congressional Gold Medal without having any prior knowledge on the hidden agenda of the anti-China forces.
Jigdrel Rinpoche: You know the facts regarding the Congressional Gold Medal Award. Moreover, the United States is a country that supports repressed people deprived of basic human rights anywhere in the world, and I think they will remain this way in the future too. Similarly, the US government and people have always celebrated any individual who works for world peace. However, we want to assure you that His Holiness and the Tibetan Government-in-Exile did not, by any means, intend to make the conferment of the Congressional Gold Medal into a political stunt.
Qiamba Puncog: In the past, the US has usually given this award to an individual with many achievements, but this time, unlike what they’ve done in the past, they have given it to the Dalai Lama. This has inevitably aroused suspicions in the minds of the people and government of China. Looking at your involvement with the Western imperialist pigs, we are thinking over whether we should continue our dialogue with you at all.
Envoy Tenzin Kelsang: His Holiness has never initiated any kind of separatist activity against China and never will in the future. The elevation of his status from the legitimate leader of Tibet to a leader of world peace is because of his enduring altruistic vision. For instance, even though His Holiness used to do gardening in his courtyard only during rare moments of spare time, the flowers appeared as if they were all sown in a single day, each having received the same amount of care and treatment. On this basis, any individual can appreciate that His Holiness gives compassion and love equally to both sentient beings and the material world because he sees that everything is connected. I feel that if the Chinese government is still apprehensive of His Holiness’ intentions, then it is detrimental to the government and the people of both parties.
Qiamba Puncog: (Taking a glance at Hua Guoqin.) You presumed to use the phrase, “the government and the people of both.” At every meeting, we have to instruct you on the usage of terms, which gives us an impression that you have ulterior motives under the name of dialogue. Well, we do not have much time since tomorrow is our last day of meeting and on the third day, you have a tour. So tonight, think carefully.
(The meeting ends tensely.)
On that night, Mr. Gyalo Thondup made a telephone call to the special envoys from Hong Kong to ask for details about Comrade Qiamba Puncog’s recent statement to the world press. This statement claimed that the Tibetan Delegation had furnished a letter to the United Front Work Department, which stated that “the conferment of Congressional Gold Medal of Honor Award to His Holiness last year in October was due to his commitment towards peace and harmony among religions of this world.”
(April 4, 2008 10:00 A.M. The meeting began without any formal greetings.)
Hua Guoqin: (Calmly in a low voice.) China has always been thoughtful of the brothers and sisters living outside China in every respect. However, you have blown the Tibet issue out of proportion by propagating lies in the world and continuing your separatist activities. Under your directives, the Youth Congress did hunger strikes. The separatist Dalai criticizes our government’s pragmatic policies. Recently, he declared that his successor would carry on the separatist movement. Your disregard of the traditional way of choosing the Dalai and Panchen by the Golden Urn gives us the strong impression that you have ulterior motives behind demanding regional ethnic autonomy. Moreover, your delegation has to be very careful, and must not keep anything back from the Dalai about the things we have discussed in our meetings. (He then lit a cigarette and took a deep breath. There was dead silence in the conference room.)
Jigdrel Rinpoche: Like our earlier meetings, I think it is a waste of time if we go on exchanging allegations and clarifications without embarking on the understanding we have achieved so far. The fact is, His Holiness’ Middle-Way Approach for mutual benefit and the struggle for genuine autonomy under the PRC’s constitution did not take shape in accordance with “seeing the change in expression in the other person’s face.” Neither is His Holiness trying to show off his wisdom. It is solely for the basic individual human rights of all the poverty-stricken Tibetan and Chinese people under your regime, which the world knows very well. It is my sincere suggestion that China take heed of the popular democratization of the world’s nations in the 20th century and be more open-minded. We came here for the future of Tibet and China. I sincerely hope that you will keep this in mind from now on. Since Mr. Deng Xiaoping’s invitation to Mr. Gyalo Thondup in 1979, we have complied with your request that we keep our discussions private and not disclose the details of our discussions to the public. But there are concerned, educated Tibetans who question this secrecy and have alleged that the elite class of Tibetan society have monopolized the issue of Tibet, leaving common Tibetans out of the picture. Since ancient times, Tibetans have been devout Buddhists and have relied on His Holiness as their sole refuge. There may be a time when all of our efforts seem vain, thus resulting in despair and helplessness. At that point, even the mother-son relationship can be damaged, so I think you should be pragmatic and not offer any reasons for the Tibetan people to take matters into their own hands. If you do not consider this carefully, the consequences will be your own responsibility.
Hua Guoqin: The Tibetans living outside of China are merely a third of the total Tibetan population. Moreover, they have not been able to witness the development and standard of living here. It is only a few individuals and political organizations that are deviously playing the Tibet issue in the international arena for their own personal benefit. They have not paid any heed to the development we have brought to Tibet. Can you take responsibility for such acts? You have seen this before. Although dissatisfaction could arise in a family against the father’s course of actions, you have been teaching your children that China is evil and the Chinese people are devils in your schools. Tell me. Doesn’t this damage the basis for peaceful coexistence and friendship in the future? However, you say that you wish to be an autonomous part of the PRC, but when are you going to have the courage to come to China with sincere goodwill, without any hoodwinking? Some of your elites have accepted reality and have already made friends with Greater China. Furthermore, a few of them and their relatives have built their homes and factories in Chinese cities like Shanghai, Chengdu and Beijing, which presents a totally different picture than the way things were in the past. Therefore, you have difficulty accepting the reality of the situation.
Mr. Mingyur Dorjee: We appreciate your broad-minded words, Ku ngo chog. The treachery… (Abruptly interrupted by Mr. Hua Guoqin.)
Hua Guoqin: From now on, you must not use the word “Ku ngo” which was used in feudalism to address feudal lords. (The Chinese translator proudly interpreted this in Tibetan.)
Mr. Mingyur Dorjee: There are two kinds of treachery, one committed by an insider and the other by an outsider. The insider traitor is the one who will create more problems than the outsider will. However, we can proudly say that the Tibetan Government-in-Exile has never initiated such acts, nor ever supported such acts. The past history and future prospects of the Tibetan people have earned the sympathy of governments and people from all over the world. The intentions and actions of the exile government and its people are made clear because of the modern education we have received. Under all circumstances, we are ready to take responsibility for our actions. We have never given up our sincere effort to resolve the issue of Tibet through dialogue, despite the changes in policies. It is a critical time for giving complete consideration to the popular demands of the Tibetan and the Chinese people. Although we have met for discussions and exchanged a few disagreements and agreements over past issues, the final judgment should be in favor of the just and popular demands of the Tibetan and Chinese people for a peaceful future. There is a popular sentiment in our exile community that we should stop this “endless drama” of having dialogues. We have come here with a sincere wish for the future good of both peoples. When we go back this time, the media will ask many questions, and we will be reporting to our people on the developments so far. Therefore, I request that you take this opportunity seriously.
Hua Guoqin: (mockingly.) We have noticed for the past few months that Dharamsala has become more assertive. We even know that Samdhong Tulku has filled all of his Cabinet seats and that the useless former Security Secretary must be rejoicing his recent appointment to your Cabinet. But, we will not give in to your devious policies and separatist acts. Nowadays, all of China, including TAR, praises the dream of Greater China. Recently we received a long report from TAR officials on how the people of TAR have celebrated our initiatives to help impoverished countries in Africa. They are very happy with the Central Government’s domestic and foreign policy. Moreover, people from all over the world are eagerly awaiting the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in August. Some people from Dharamsala or some of your NGOs have even tried to get permission to compete in the games. Our government officials and our staff at the Nationalities Affairs office are busy with this historical event, and we consider our time more precious than gold. We have been able to discuss some of our mistakes in this meeting. We are hopeful that in the coming year, we will be able to discuss the future. Tomorrow you will go on a tour of some areas, and I hope that you will report the facts to the Tibetans living outside of China and to the Dalai Lama.
(It was then announced that the Tibetan delegation will be having an informal meeting with Tibetan leader Jigme Wangchuk and Baba Lodoe Kunsang at five o’clock in the evening. The Chinese delegation departed with smiles on their faces after taking a group photo.)
(Mr. Jigme Wangchuk could not attend because he was feeling ill, but great Tibetan patriot Mr. Baba Lodoe Kunsang received the Tibetan Delegation at his own house.)
Jigdrel Rinpoche: I am pleased to meet you. Even though I have not had the opportunity to meet you either as a special envoy or on a personal occasion, I feel it’s as if I were meeting an old friend. Fortunately, our shared concerns have enriched our knowledge of our past history and future prospects. Do you think that we should summarize our report on the dialogue process to the media and the international community, as we have done with our earlier statements, when we reach India?
Lodoe Kunsang: His Holiness’ altruistic vision is very honorable. Tibet and Tibetans are earthly beings, so it is very important to have a vision of their present and future, so we can represent the concerns of contemporary Tibetans. The governments and individuals who support Tibet are aware of the extent of the gap in the Sino-Tibetan dialogue. If they are supportive only because of the Tibetan course of actions, then they are being opportunistic. I have heard that the Youth Congress and many NGOs who have been demanding complete independence have now been campaigning against the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Recently, former PM Mr. Sonam Topgyal’s Free Tibet Organization, Students for Free Tibet, Indo-Tibetan Friendship Organization, Gu-Chu-Sum, and the TWA have released a press statement declaring a Long March from India to Tibet. It is very important that they accept their responsibility for any consequences from this action. Also in the international arena, the governments of Germany, Japan, and the United States have demonstrated their disgust against Chinese policies. However, there is no time to introduce a new approach in view of our political history, and hence, no time for us to wait and watch…
(Since dinner was over and there was no more time left, the delegation had to leave with sad expressions on everyone’s faces. At that time, I noticed tears in the eyes of 86 year old Baba Lodoe Kunsang.)
The delegation returned to the hotel and discussed their trip back to India. That night, the envoy telephoned Mr. Hua Guoqin to cancel the tour planned for the next day, and the Chinese side gladly gave their consent. On 5 April 2008, the Tibetan delegation reached the Bureau Office, New Delhi, via Nepal under complete secrecy. They telephoned the PM reporting on their arrival and gave a briefing on the dialogue. The PM instructed them to catch the first flight to Gaggal tomorrow. The next morning, while leaving the Bureau Office for the airport, the delegation was shocked to see the media from TPPRC, Bhod-Gyalo, and Phayul waiting outside. The press asked questions about the seventh round of the dialogue and the recent Chinese press statements.
Jigdrel Rinpoche: I am glad to see you all here today. Moreover, I appreciate such interest from the Tibetan press. In a nutshell, we have been able to continue our dialogue process and were able to clearly present our demands directly to the Chinese. They understand it very well. However, like the saying “divine deeds always take time,” we request that the press, the scholarly community, and the youth stay more informed in the future, so that we can discuss more substantial issues and not have to answer questions relating to Chinese Communist propaganda. We will meet again. Thank you.
Mingyur Dorjee: We are not in a position to answer any questions before an official statement is made. However, there is a lot of flexibility in the Middle-Way Approach. The people should take responsibility too. It is important that the press invite experts to elaborate on the Middle-Way Approach, non-violence and democracy for the Tibetan community. This is also a way to take responsibility. (The media then dispersed after the statement.)
(However, the atmosphere in Dharamsala was a little different.)
