A senior official with the Foreign Affairs Committee of The National People's Congress (NPC) of China on Thursday made remarks on a U.S. Congressional "award" to the Dalai Lama. The remarks are as follows:
In disregard of China's strong opposition and repeated representations, the U.S. Congress held a ceremony on Capitol Hill on October 17 and awarded the Dalai Lama the so-called "Congressional Gold Medal," providing the Dalai Lama with a forum to distort the reality and carry out activities aimed at splitting China. This provocative move constitutes a gross interference in China's internal affairs and is highly offensive to the Chinese people. We hereby express our strong indignation at and firm opposition to this act.
As is known to all, Tibet has always been an integral part of China's territory. It has been an administrative region under the direct jurisdiction of China's Central Government since the mid-13th century. Even the title of the Dalai Lama came into being as a result of conferment by China's Central Government.
The "Congressional Gold Medal" was given to the Dalai Lama on the ground that he is a "spiritual and cultural leader" and because of his so-called "contribution" to peace, human rights and religious freedom. But what is the true color of the Dalai Lama? What role has he played in the history of Tibet? The facts speak for themselves.
People with some basic knowledge of the Tibetan history all know that feudal serfdom and theocracy, which were a dictatorship of upper-class monks and nobles, were practiced in the old Tibet under the 14th Dalai Lama, and that the Dalai Lama was the head of serf owners exercising feudal rule. Under that regime, the overwhelming majority of Tibetans were either serfs or slaves deprived of personal freedom. They were often traded or given away as gifts by their owners, and were subjected to torture in extremely inhumane conditions in their owners' private prisons. Serfdom in the old Tibet was no less cruel and brutal than that practiced in Medieval Europe.
After Tibet's peaceful liberation in 1951, the serfs and slaves in Tibet strongly demanded the abolition of feudal serfdom and the introduction of democratic reform. However, some members of the Tibetan ruling clique were obstinately opposed to reform. They tried to perpetuate feudal serfdom in Tibet to protect their vested interests. They launched an all-round armed rebellion in 1959, and openly made separatist call for "Tibet independence." With the support of Tibetan lamas and people, the Central Government speedily quelled this rebellion aimed at splitting China. In order to restore the dark autocratic feudal serfdom, the Dalai Lama fled China, thus setting himself against the Central Government and the Tibetan people. The Dalai Lama has tried hard not to face the truth of his cruel rule in the old Tibet, and he has never shown any repentance for it. Yet he has posed as the "spokesman" of freedom of Tibet and the "champion" of human rights and human dignity in an attempt to mislead the international community. To glorify the Dalai Lama for his so-called "contribution" to the advancement of human rights and call him a "fighter for human rights" not only distorts history but also makes a mockery of freedom, human rights and human dignity.
After the Dalai Lama fled China, the Central Government, acting in the interest of China's national and ethnic unity, exercised great patience in the hope that the Dalai Lama would reverse course. The Dalai Lama's post of vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China was kept until 1964. But the Dalai Lama established the illegal "government in exile" abroad, and he has continued to pose as the "political and religious leader" of the Tibetan community in exile, and engaged in a lot of separatist political activities. He has never given up the position for "Tibet independence" in the past few decades. The Dalai Lama has in recent years continued to claim that Tibet is a country occupied by China. He calls for the overthrow of the current social system in Tibet and the establishment of a "greater Tibet", which never existed in history. He also calls for the convocation of an "international conference" to turn Tibet into an "international peace zone" and a demilitarized zone and the expulsion of all non-Tibetans from the "greater Tibet". All these claims, which are naked calls for "Tibet independence," are completely in violation of China's Constitution.
All this clearly demonstrates that the Dalai Lama is a political exile engaged in separatist activities under the cloak of "religious leader." Since fleeing China, the Dalai Lama has done nothing to promote Tibet's development or the well-being of the Tibetan people. He in no way represents the people of Tibet. The issue concerning the Dalai Lama is neither an ethnic or religious issue, nor an issue of human rights. Rather, it is a grave political issue of attempting to split China.
Out of ulterior motive, the Dalai Lama has in recent years spread rumors that "Tibet has been invaded and occupied", that "the Tibetans are suffering" and that "the traditional Tibetan culture and natural environment are under threat". But what is the reality?
After the Dalai Lama went into exile following the failed armed rebellion, democratic reform was introduced in Tibet in response to the strong call of the Tibetan people. Feudal serfdom, a most barbarous system, was abolished and regional autonomy was instituted in Tibet in 1965. The serfs and slaves under the Dalai Lama's rule are now masters of their own house, and they take an active part in the running of state affairs and fully exercise autonomous rights provided for by China's Constitution and laws. The Tibetan people exercise regional autonomy and manage their ethnic affairs. Tremendous social and economic changes have taken place in Tibet thanks to the support of the Central Government and people across China. Tibet's population has grown to 2.81 million from about 1.15 million at the time of peaceful liberation, of whom the vast majority are Tibetans. With Tibet's economy growing at a rate of over 12 percent for many years, there has been fundamental improvement in the lives of the Tibetan people. The opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, a great historic undertaking, will greatly boost the economic and social development in Tibet. There was not a single modern school in old Tibet, whereas by the end of 2006, Tibet had 1,011 schools at various levels, enrolling 534,000 students, or 94 percent of school-age children. The rights of the Tibetan people are ensured by law. Tibet's traditional culture is well preserved. Freedom of religious belief is fully guaranteed. There are 1,780 lamaseries in Tibet with more than 46,000 lamas and nuns. The state has allocated huge amount of funding in these years for the maintenance of lamaseries. Both the Central Government and the Tibetan autonomous government have always given top priority to ensuring proper balance between economic development and environmental protection. There are now in Tibet 38 nature reserves, covering a total are of 410,000 square kilometers. Environmental monitoring shows that Tibet has a good environment. Its water and air are basically pollution free, most of its areas are in a natural state and Tibet has one of the best natural environments in the world. Tibet has never enjoyed such development and stability as it does today.
Over the years, a small number of biased members of the U.S. Congress have used the Dalai Lama's visit as an excuse to attack China. They have willfully introduced or adopted groundless bills or resolutions to smear China's image. They have repeatedly made unwarranted charges against China on the so-called issues of human rights and freedom of religious belief. They have now gone so far as to give the Dalai Lama, a political exile and trouble-maker, a "Congressional Gold Medal" and provide him with an opportunity to wantonly vilify the Chinese Government in an attempt to split China. By doing so, they are openly conniving at the Dalai Lama's separatist activities and sending a wrong signal to the separatist elements for "Tibet independence". What they have done has gravely undermined China-U.S. relations and bilateral cooperation in key fields. We cannot but wonder what these people are up to.
We urge the U.S. Congress and Administration not to forget the larger interests of U.S. relations with China, take speedy and credible steps to undo the damage caused by the above-mentioned wrong move, stop interfering in China's internal affairs, and refrain from making moves that are offensive to the Chinese people and impede the normal growth of China-U.S. relations.
We would like to remind some individuals that the Chinese people stood up long since 1949. To uphold China's sovereignty and territorial integrity is the common resolve and firm determination of all the Chinese people, including the people in Tibet. No force can stop the progress of Tibet in the great family of the Chinese nation. All attempts to interfere in China's internal affairs and undermine China's fundamental interests are doomed to failure.
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