Dalai Lama's Envoys Arrive in China for Fifth Round of Talks

February 28, 2006

The Tibetan government-in-exile announced in a press release on February 15 that the Dalai Lama's envoys, Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, arrived in China the same day for the fifth round of talks with Chinese officials on the Tibetan issue. They were accompanied by senior aides. The press release provided no information about the envoys' itinerary or the planned duration of the visit. Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lama's Special Envoy, customarily makes a detailed public statement only after the envoys have departed from China and briefed the Dalai Lama in person.

The Tibetan government-in-exile announced in a press release on February 15 that the Dalai Lama's envoys, Lodi Gyaltsen Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, arrived in China the same day for the fifth round of talks with Chinese officials on the Tibetan issue. They were accompanied by senior aides. The press release provided no information about the envoys' itinerary or the planned duration of the visit. Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lama's Special Envoy, customarily makes a detailed public statement only after the envoys have departed from China and briefed the Dalai Lama in person.

Previous rounds of talks took place in September 2002, May-June 2003, September 2004, and June-July 2005. All of the talks took place in China except the 2005 round, which were in Bern, Switzerland. According to a February 10 article in the Times of India, the Dalai Lama advocated autonomy under China's constitutional framework and said that talks with Chinese authorities were heading in the right direction.

See Section VI - "Tibet," The Status of Discussion Between China and the Dalai Lama, of the CECC 2005 Annual Report for more information.