Tibet path of development on right track

The Chinese government on Wednesday issued a white paper on the Tibet autonomous region, applauding its development path and denouncing the "middle way" advocated by the Dalai Lama.

People perform the Tibetan Guozhuang folk dance in March at Zongjiaolukang Park in Lhasa, the Tibet autonomous region. Photos by Zhu Xingxin / China Daily

The white paper, titled "Tibet's Path of Development IsDriven by an Irresistible Historical Tide", holds that Tibet's current development path is correct.

Tibet's continual progress on its present path of development is an objective requirement of modern civilization. This accords with the progressive trend of human society, the prevailing conditions and the current reality in China, as well as the fundamental interests of all ethnic groups in Tibet, says the white paper, which was released by the Information Office of the State Council.

However, the report points out that there is a party that clusters around the 14th Dalai Lama, representatives of the remnants of the feudal serf owners who have long lived in exile, driven by a political goal of "Tibetan independence" and a sentimental attachment to the old theo-cratic feudal serfdom.

Having failed to instigate violence in support of their cause, they turned to the "middle way", which negates Tibet's sound development path and attempts to create a "state within a state" on Chinese territory as an interim step toward the ultimate goal of full independence.

The report accuses the Dalai group of being opportunistic in the talks with the central government.

"When they thought the situation was working to their disadvantage, they would call for contacts with the central government; when they thought the situation was in their favor, they would break off these contacts," it says.

The central government has followed a clear and consistent policy toward the Dalai Lama, it says.

"Only when he makes a public statement acknowledging that Tibet has been an integral part of China since antiquity, and abandons his stance on independence and his attempts to divide China, can he improve his relationship with the central government in any real sense," it says.

"The only sensible alternative is for the Dalai Lama and his supporters to accept that Tibet has been part of China since antiquity, to abandon their goals of dividing China and seeking independence for Tibet, and to begin to act in the interests of Tibet and the country at large," it says.

Development route

The report notes that the region first began to embrace modern civilization only after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949.

Having gone through such important phases as peaceful liberation, democratic reform, establishment of the Tibet autonomous region and introduction of reform and opening up, Tibet has not only established a new social system, but also witnessed a leap forward in its economy and embarked on the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The majority of Tibetans have shaken off the poverty that had dogged them for centuries, to enjoy a relatively comfortable life.

In 2013, the gross regional product of Tibet reached 80.8 billion yuan ($13.2 billion) while the per capita net income of rural Tibetans was 6,578 yuan and the per capita disposable income of urban ones was 20,023 yuan.

Tibet's population rose to 3.12 million in 2013, triple the figure in the early 1950s.

Violent incidents

The report presents a rich collection of evidence to prove that the Dalai Lama and his supporters have never abandoned the use of violence to promote their ultimate goal of "Tibetan independence".

According to the report, during the armed rebellion in Tibet in the late 1950s, the US Central Intelligence Agency not only sent agents to help the 14th Dalai Lama flee Tibet, but also trained militants to support his forces and airdropped a large quantity of weapons.

Since the 1980s, the Dalai Lama and his supporters have been behind a series of violent incidents in Tibet, including an incident on March 5, 1988, that led to 299 police and civilian casualties and the one on March 14, 2008, in which a total of 18 people were burned or hacked to death.

Since 2011, they have incited Tibetan lamas and lay followers inside China to engage in acts of self-immolation.

"For the Dalai party, 'peace' and 'non-violence' are no more than fig leaves," the report says.

Central government's efforts

Since the Dalai Lama fled abroad in 1959, the central government has exercised great restraint and done its best, the report says.

"However, he (the Dalai Lama) has repeatedly made choices that run counter to the wishes of the central government and the people of Tibet," it says.

The central government received 13 visits by private representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama between 1979 and 2002, and 10 visits from 2002 to January 2010, according to the report.

In 2011, the Dalai Lama announced his "political retirement", and his private representatives who had kept contact with the central government also "resigned".

Since then, the Dalai group has declared that it would only talk with the central government in the name of the "government-in-exile", thereby destroying any basis for contacts and negotiations, which have been halted, the report says.

1. Old system doomed

The end of theocratic feudal serfdom in Tibet was a historical inevitability, as the system went completely against the progressive trend in China and the rest of the world.

The system trampled on human dignity, infringed upon human rights and impeded development in Tibet, says the white paper titled "Tibet's Path of Development is Driven by an Irresistible Historical Tide", issued by the Information Office of the State Council.

Political and religious powers were combined, with absolute supremacy held by the religious power - a typical manifestation of theocracy.

Before Democratic Reform in 1959, there were 2,676 monasteries and almost 115,000 Buddhist monks and their acolytes in Tibet. Active monks accounted for one quarter of the local male population, a total that far exceeded the proportion of clergy in Medieval Europe, and was highly unusual throughout the world.

Since a large proportion of the population was not engaged in economic activity and reproduction but used as tools of oppression by the religious power, there was an acute shortage of social resources, and demographic growth remained stagnant for a long period.

Under feudal serfdom, there was a rigid hierarchy. The 13-Article Code and the 16-Article Code, which had been practiced for centuries in Tibet, divided people into three classes and nine ranks, enshrining the rigid hierarchy in law.

This backward social structure led to a chasm of wealth in old Tibet. Closed, backward and isolated from modern civilization, it bore no resemblance to the "Shangri-La" fantasy.

2. Sound achivements

Through more than 60 years of development, Tibet has followed a sound path of development.

The path of development is both characteristically Chinese and suited to the prevailing conditions in Tibet.

For the past six decades and more, the financial department of the central government has steadily increased transfer payments for Tibet.

In the period from 1952 to 2013, the central government provided 544.6 billion yuan ($88.69 billion) to Tibet in financial subsidies, accounting for 95 percent of Tibet's total public financial expenditure.

The development path of new Tibet ensures the people are masters of their own fate. Within the framework of socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics, Tibet has embarked on a road of modern democracy, and all political rights of the people are fully respected and protected.

In 2013, the Gross Regional Product (GRP) of Tibet reached 80.8 billion yuan, the per-capita net income of farmers and herdsmen was 6,578 yuan and the per-capita disposable income of urban dwellers was 20,023 yuan, according to the white paper.

In 2013, the population of Tibet rose to 3.12 million, with an average life expectancy of 68.2 years, representing a tripling and a doubling of the figures from the early 1950s.

The drive for modernization continues, and Tibet is becoming increasingly open to the outside world.

In 2013, the total value of Tibet's foreign trade reached $3.3 billion, and the region hosted 12.9 million tourists, including 220,000 from overseas.

Tibet has succeeded in preserving the spoken and written Tibetan language, and the outstanding traditional Tibetan culture has been preserved and handed down. Citizens enjoy full freedom of religious belief.

Tibet is developing in a sustainable way, with both the central and regional governments adopting strict measures for environmental protection.

3. Intent to split China

The essential intent of the "middle way" advocated by the Dalai Lama group is to split China.

The claims of the middle way can be summarized in five major points.

First, it denies the fact that Tibet has been an integral part of China since ancient times; instead it claims that Tibet was "an independent state" that was "occupied by China in 1951" and that "Tibetans have the right to independence from a historical perspective".

Second, it seeks to establish a "Greater Tibet" that has never existed at any time in history, claiming that the "Tibet issue" concerns 6 million Tibetans and that Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Gansu, Qinghai and other areas that Tibetans and people of other ethnic minorities inhabit in compact communities should be incorporated into a unified administrative region.

Third, it demands "a high degree of autonomy" that is not subject to any constraint whatsoever from the central government, denies the leadership of the central government and Tibet's present social and political systems and proposes to establish an "autonomous government" under which "Tibetans" (in truth the Dalai party) take full charge of all affairs other than diplomacy and national defense.

Fourth, it opposes the central government's garrisons of troops in Tibet and, despite its superficial agreement that the central government holds the authority over national defense, it demands that the central government "withdraw all Chinese troops" to turn Tibet into an "international zone of peace".

Fifth, in total disregard of the fact that the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has been a multi-ethnic region since ancient times, it denies the access of other ethnic groups to "Greater Tibet" and drives them out of regions where they have lived for generations.

Under the "middle way", the Dalai group feigns acceptance of China's sovereignty in Tibet to seize the reins of power.

4. Self-immolations

The 14th Dalai Lama encourages deluded lamas and lay followers to engage in self-immolation.

In August 2011, the new leader of the so-called Tibetan government-in-exile announced a new commitment to non-violence.

Subsequently, the Dalai group leadership began to incite Tibetan lamas and lay followers inside China to engage in acts of self-immolation, leading to a series of such incidents in a number of regions.

On May 29, 2012, at a Tibetan Youth Congress candlelight rally to commemorate Tibetans who had conducted self-immolation, its head claimed: "Tibetan independence will neither fall from the sky nor grow from the earth; rather it relies on our efforts and action and needs sacrifice."

In September 2012, the Dalai group convened the Second Special Meeting of Tibetans in Exile, describing self-immolation as the highest form of non-violence, hailing its unfortunate victims as "national heroes", building memorials and raising special funds for them.

For an ensuing period, the Dalai group vigorously preached that "self-immolation does not go against Buddhist doctrine" and that "self-immolation is martyrdom and Bodhisattva deeds", duping Buddhist believers in Tibet-particularly innocent young people-and setting them on a path of ruin.

The inevitable result was a sudden increase in self-immolations.

Investigations by China's public security organs into incidents of self-immolation revealed clearly that they are being manipulated and instigated at the highest level by the Dalai group.

The Dalai group has also released a self-immolation guide on the Internet-an instruction manual to incite Tibetans residing within China to burn themselves.

5. Wasted opportunity

After the start of reform and opening up, the central government offered the 14th Dalai Lama an opportunity to repent his way, but he chose to maintain his support for "Tibetan independence".

The central government received 13 visits by his private representatives between 1979 and 2002, and 10 visits from 2002 to January 2010.

To the disappointment of the central government, the Dalai Lama has remained committed to his "middle way", which runs counter to the Constitution and aims at splitting the country.

Moreover, he has planned and instigated activities of sabotage, including violent disturbances during the Beijing Olympic Games, violence in Lhasa on March 14, 2008, and incidents of self-immolation.

In 2011, the Dalai Lama announced his "political retirement", followed shortly by the announcement of "resignation" by his private representatives, who had kept contact with the central government.

Since then, the Dalai group has declared that it would only talk with the central government in the name of the "government-in-exile", thereby destroying any basis for contacts and negotiation, which have now been halted.

Over the past 30 years and more, the Dalai Lama and his supporters have adjusted and altered their strategies according to changes in the national and international situation.

None of the negotiations were conducted in good faith.