PM has no plans to meet Dalai Lama as China warns against meeting

[DharmaSpace]

The Chinese government says a potential meeting between the Dalai Lama and Prime Minister Turnbull would 'definitely' damage Australia-China relations
By Myles Morgan

30 Aug - 3:03 PM  UPDATED 31 Aug - 10:39 PM

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's office has confirmed he has no plans to meet with the Dalai Lama.

It added he had never met with exiled Tibetan leader during his time as Prime Minister.

The China-Tibetan Cultural Exchange Delegation visited Canberra on Wednesday to promote the Tibet Autonomous Region and a dialogue with Australia.

The delegation included Tibetan people employed in the Chinese administration.

When asked whether any potential meeting between the Dalai Lama and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull would harm relations with China, one Chinese official said it would.

"He [the Dalai Lama] has been leading separatist activities against China since his exile so this is not acceptable to us,” Wang Yanwen of the State Council Information Office said.

"It would definitely damage our relations."

The Dalai Lama was scheduled to visit Australia in 2017, on what would have been his 11th visit, but it was cancelled.

The Dalai Lama met then prime minister John Howard in 2007.

Recommended
Chinese men on their way to Australia by boat have been deported, Bishop confirms
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has confirmed a boatload of Chinese men and their alleged Papua New Guinean people smuggler have been intercepted and sent back.

The State Council Information Office is one of the Chinese government's chief sources of promoting China and its policy stances.

It said Australia should take an “impartial and objective and fair attitude” in deciding how it approaches the contentious issue of China-Tibet relations.

“I have confidence in the Australian government doing things that help to grow our ties rather than being misled and support[ing] activities that seek to separate China,” Ms Wang said.

“What we hope is to make real good friends with Australia, to help each other and deliver mutual benefits, rather than talking friendly on the surface while doing bad things behind each others' back.”

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama fled his homeland in 1959 after the failed Tibetan Uprising. He has been living in exile ever since.

The Chinese Communist Party maintains Tibet has long been a part of China, while critics say the region is occupied.

Earlier this year, the chief executive of the Tibetan Government In-Exile, Lobsang Sangay, visited Australia and called for genuine Tibetan involvement in choosing the region's rulers.
Tibetans confident poverty will be lifted

The delegation to Canberra included 55-year-old Pubu, a Tibetan man who is a senior member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in the Shannan Prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

"We set the goal of lifting everyone out of poverty by 2018," Mr Pubu said.

"We have more than 2.6 million people under the coverage of publicly funded social programs."

Chinese officials on Turnbull meeting Dalai Lama

Multiple human rights groups have condemned China's treatment of Tibetan people.

According to Human Rights Watch, Tibetans “continue to face routine denial of basic freedoms of speech, assembly, and movement”.

The US State Department last year described the human rights situation in Tibet as "poor".

"The [Chinese] government engaged in the severe repression of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage by, among other means, strictly curtailing the civil rights of the Tibetan population, including the freedoms of speech, religion, association, assembly, and movement," it said.

But the delegation to Canberra told journalists China's ruling party was making momentous efforts to protect the cultural and environmental heritage of the region.

"Tibetan culture, it’s far from being extinct. Quite on the contrary; it has been properly preserved and it has prospered," Mr Pubu said.

"I think it’s undeniable that Tibetan culture is at its best time in history."
Only 5 per cent have human rights violated: Chinese academic

Also a part of the delegation was China Tibetology Research Centre Professor Wang Xiaobin, who lived in Tibet for more than a decade.

Tibetans who followed the Dalai Lama had turned the region into a "feudal serfdom" under "autocratic rule"  before the 1959 uprising, he said.

"The Communist Part of China only violates the human rights of the 5 per cent of people who rule the region and they do so to protect the human rights of the 95 per cent of the Tibetan people," Professor Xioabin said.

"The Dalai Lama opposes such forces and movements. That’s the reason he chose to go into exile."

Another door closes on CTA,and the clock is ticking. Another prominent world leader have shown he rather do business and work with the Chinese. This time Lobsang Sangay got into Australia, the next time, will the Australia allow Lobsang Sangay to waltz into Australia.

Lobsang Sangay brings a message of the bid bad wolf China is, and how China has territorial ambitions. I am not saying China never that did before in the modern history or wanted to claim back historical territories. But after achieving superior economic advantage in the world I see little reason why China, able to tap into all forms of mineral resources through their alliances and collaborations across the globe, would want to start a new conflict.

At the start of China's forays into industrialization in the 80's and 90's, China may not have been on a sure footing. But now it is a totally new ball game, China has matured on the global stage. Conflict is not necessary for China to get what it wants.   

[DharmaSpace]

This is the link to the article.
http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/08/30/pm-has-no-plans-meet-dalai-lama-china-warns-against-meeting

[Ringo Starr]

Yes, it is quite obvious that Australia, and many other countries, do not suffer fools gladly.

[Celia]

Hardly surprising since the priority of a true democratic leader is always its citizens. Something that CTA has been getting away with not doing considering the pathetic governing by CTA leading to no significant progress in the Tibetan cause or the welfare of Tibetans to date.

Anyway, taking into account economic and political aspects, it no longer makes sense to openly support CTA, especially considering the possible detrimental economic repercussions from China. In a way, it is always a matter time before such turning point as there is only so much people can stomach the continued leeching from CTA who has nothing to show for after all the generous donations.

As aptly pointed out by Ringo Starr, “Australia, and many other countries, do not suffer fools gladly”.