Beijing, Aug 9 (IANS) China’s grip over Tibet is not just about land but about control, legitimacy, and survival, and the province will continue to remain under its control until the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) equates sovereignty with absolute territorial integrity, according to a report.
For more than seven decades, China has maintained control over Tibet, which functions as a natural shield between China and South Asia. Due to its vast glaciers and rivers, Tibet is often described as the “Third Pole.” The Brahmaputra, Mekong, and Yangtze, all originating from Tibet, make the region important for China’s long-term water security. China has invested in the development of highways, airbases and railways in Tibet, making the region a militarised zone that showcases power across Asia, according to a report in Tibet Express.
The CCP calls Tibet an inseparable part of China, a narrative backed by propaganda, education, and policy. Relinquishing Tibet would be considered unravelling the very legitimacy of the CCP. China has insisted that Tibet has always been part of the country, despite historical evidence showing independent governance in Tibet.
“China’s hold on Tibet is not just about land — it is about control, legitimacy, and survival. As long as the Party equates sovereignty with absolute territorial integrity, Tibet will remain under occupation. Only when China undergoes internal transformation—whether through democratisation, decentralisation, or a reimagining of its national identity—will the possibility of Tibet’s freedom emerge. Political reform: A more pluralistic China could allow genuine autonomy or even independence movements to flourish,” Khedroob Thondup, nephew of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, said in a report in Tibet Express.
Tibet is not only a piece of land but showcases China’s imperial reach and a cornerstone of its strategic security. For China, losing control over Tibet means accepting weakness, which affects its narrative of unity, according to the report.
In July, the head of a leading Tibet advocacy group said China has been intensifying human rights abuses in Tibet and using a new law to place its forced assimilation policies on a legal footing.
Ryan Fioresi, executive director of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), said the situation inside Tibet remained deeply troubling. He urged the US and other governments to press Beijing to resume negotiations with the Dalai Lama or his representatives.
“The situation inside Tibet is quite grim,” Fioresi told IANS in an interview. “The human rights abuses by the Chinese government are escalating.”
Fioresi cited China’s Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which came into force on July 1, saying that the measure gave legal cover to policies aimed at weakening Tibet’s distinct identity.
“The Chinese government just implemented on July 1st, just a few days ago, the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which codifies many of Beijing’s forced assimilation policies into Chinese law,” he said.
“Many of the stipulations in the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law contravene China’s own constitution and its international human rights commitments.”
Fioresi said the International Campaign for Tibet had sought to draw global attention to the legislation. The organisation has appealed to governments, the United Nations and interfaith leaders to speak out.
“We called on governments, the United Nations, and interfaith leaders to speak out on this law, to shine a light on what China is doing to erase Tibetan identity and to urge Beijing to change these policies,” he said.
–IANS
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