Special Envoy of the Dalai Lama Issues Statement Summarizing Recent China Visit

CECC Summary

Lodi Gyari, the Special Envoy of the Dalai Lama, released a statement on October 13 commenting on his delegation's September 12-29 visit to China. Posted on the website of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Gyari's statement was released two weeks after the delegation returned to Dharamsala, apparently because the delegation could not brief the Dalai Lama until October 12 owing to the latter's visit to Latin America. Lodi Gyari and Kelsang Gyaltsen, the Europe-based envoy, met in Beijing with Ms. Liu Yandong, who heads the United Front Work Department,and Chang Rongjun, the UFWD's top official on Tibetan issues. Lodi Gyari characterized the discussions as “the most extensive and serious exchange of views” so far, but he cautioned that “major differences” exist on “fundamental” issues, and that “flexibility, far-sightedness and vision” will be necessary to bridge the gap. The delegation also visited several counties in Ganzi (Kardze) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province.

CECC Comment

Expectations were high for this third visit, particularly as articulated by officials of the Tibetan government in exile. For example, Samdhong Rinpoche, the elected head of the exiled administration, said in April 2004 that he hoped a third trip would allow the Tibetan envoys to “discuss the matter of beginning the actual process of negotiations,”according to a report by the Tibetan government-in-exile. The New York office of the government-in-exile issued a statement on September 14, while the delegation was in China, that summarized the Dalai Lama’s position: “The [Middle Way] approach seeks to address the Chinese government's fear of instability in Tibet and its eventual separation from China, while at the same time obtaining real autonomy for a reunified Tibet―consisting of the present-day Tibet Autonomous Region and the eastern half of the Tibetan plateau, now merged with the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan.” The envoys were both born in Ganzi TAP, Lodi Gyari in Xinlong County (Nyagrong), and Kelsang Gyaltsen in Batang (Bathang). The area, part of what Tibetans call Kham, was annexed to Sichuan Province in 1955 and designated an autonomous Tibetan prefecture. The Chinese government's decision to permit the envoys to visit Ganzi could be construed as a positive gesture.