Dharamshala, 8th August: Recently, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with a number of Indian officials. During a roundtable of around seven civil society figures, Blinken spoke with Geshe Dorji Damdul, the Dalai Lama’s former interpreter Afterwards, Ngodup Dongchung, the Dalai Lama’s messenger, visited with Blinken on his own. Attracting notice was the fact that America’s top diplomat met with Tibetan authorities on Indian soil. For as long as India can remember, it has walked a tightrope with Tibet in order not to offend Chinese sensibilities.
India’s official attitude has been that the Tibetan population there is not allowed to participate politically, even though the Dalai Lama has lived in exile in India since 1959. 2016 saw the cancellation of an upcoming conference of Chinese dissidents, including Tibetans, in New Delhi after India suddenly canceled the visas of the participants. A number of events were planned to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the flight of the Dalai Lama to India. Officials were told not to share the platform with the Tibetan leader after the Narendra Modi government issued a directive urging them not to do so, and events were subsequently moved outside of New Delhi.
As a result of last year’s border confrontations, many believe that India is seeking a paradigm shift in its Tibetan policy that is centered on revenge against Beijing. In the opinion of a well-known foreign policy observer, Blinken’s conversations with the Indian government were “clearly structured.” To obtain strategic leverage through its Tibetan community, India will need to articulate its positions with more clarity and consistency. As a bargaining chip against China, Tibet’s status will not be improved if New Delhi frequently changes its mind about Tibetan politics. India is unlikely to acquire Tibetan trust if they regard India’s strategy as a reaction to China’s dynamic border equation, rather than as a policy grounded in more stable and reliable ideas or goals.
The future of the Tibetan community in India is also a major issue for India. As a result, only Tibetans with an Indian parent are eligible to apply for Indian citizenship if they were born prior to 1987 in India. As a result, many Tibetans are stateless. Due to a lack of passports, most of them have trouble finding jobs in their own countries, running businesses or buying land, and traveling abroad. If India grants Tibetans citizenship, some Tibetan officials fear that they will be compelled to leave their current isolated communities and integrate into Indian society. Tibetans believe that their sense of community and commitment to the Tibetan cause will be weakened as a result. New Delhi will need to meet younger Tibetans’ aspirations sooner rather than later, while preserving its political commitment to Tibet, in the lack of economic prospects.
As a result of India and the United States’ involvement in Tibet, Beijing is already taking steps to protect itself. In recent years, China has attempted to “Sinicize” the Tibetan population, mostly through relocating Han Chinese migrants to Tibet and resettling them there. A number of infrastructure projects and regulations were announced during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Tibet last week According to Beijing’s Sinicization agenda, Xi called for “blending ethnic groups” and “adapting Tibetan Buddhism to socialism with Chinese characteristics.” The Chinese president also spoke of pushing Mandarin as the primary language in the region, according to the BBC.
Recently, the Chinese government has established militias in Tibet as a means of combating Indian forces along the Line of Actual Control. Peking’s ultimate goal is to deepen its grip on Tibet while shutting off Indian Tibetans from their homeland. Beijing’s border issues with India call for New Delhi to provide more political and economic assistance to the 100,000 Tibetans residing in India and their cause, build a strong constituency of support among them, and strengthen their ties to India.
President Joe Biden has made it clear that Washington aims to counter China’s threat by engaging with Chinese dissidents, from Tibet to Taiwan, and beyond. Support from New Delhi for Washington should be more steadfast and constant.
Image Credit: financialexpress
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