His name is Kalon Norzin Dolma and he is Minister of Information and International Relations of the Central Government of Tibet, the government that fled to India with the Dalai Lama after the 1959 uprising against China. She is friendly but firm when she speaks about the situation her country is experiencing today.
What is the current situation between China and Tibet?
We had a dialogue process between the Tibetan representatives and those of the Chinese government. But that dialogue has stalled since 2011. Between 2001 and 2011, we had the opportunity to represent people’s demands and write them to the Chinese government. They didn’t answer positively because they didn’t think it was a real suggestion from us. They rejected it on the basis of Tibet’s independence, which they believed could not and cannot be challenged. From that moment there were no more dialogue processes.
How do Tibetans live today?
At the moment the situation in Tibet is critical. Since the occupation of China in 1959, the Chinese government has implemented increasingly repressive and repressive policies and promoted Beijing’s culture. Tibetan identity has been attacked, including in culture and religion. We are very concerned. There is no freedom of speech or religion, and even in education we do not have the right to speak our own language. Therefore it is necessary to tell what is happening in Tibet. We demanded more freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama.
According to Human Rights Watch, China is collecting the DNA of Tibetan citizens. There?
This development is very worrying for us. China is actively increasing mass surveillance against Tibetans in all forms, human as well as digital. So they sent many Tibetans to prison. They went even further by collecting DNA. It’s like doing ethnic codification.
Another open front is Taiwan. Does China really want to take over the island?
I think the ultimate goal might be to unify Taiwan, make it a Chinese province.
What has the West not understood about China?
We cannot hide the fact that China is an emerging superpower. It has grown economically and militarily. Many countries hold this opinion. On the other hand, it must be emphasized that China does not respect the universal values of freedom, justice and democracy. It does not respect human rights, which are fundamental to any good interaction. Xi Jinping is in trouble because he is trying to create a new international order based on different values, but he poses a threat to humanity. Many countries have ties with China for economic interests, but cannot rely on human rights and democracy some.
What will the future of Tibet look like in the next ten years?
The spirit of the Tibetans is very strong. They have endured Chinese occupation for more than 60 years and this oppression has not changed their hearts. The fight continues. We will continue to defend the dialogue-based solution to the Sino-Tibetan conflict and strive for the autonomy contained in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China. We need real autonomy, not nominal. We must stop the process of culture and identity destruction. We believe that the Sino-Tibetan conflict can only be resolved through dialogue, through negotiations and through non-violent approaches.
More and more actors are talking about China’s “aggression” against Tibet. Why this language change?
For years, China has been changing the way it portrays Tibet’s history, implying that Tibet is part of China. This narrative is so strong that the international community takes it for granted. But if it’s a fact, then China doesn’t have to sit down to negotiate. Historically, Tibet has not been attacked by China, but due to the current situation, we are looking for a win-win solution. If it is not aggression, then there is no obligation for the international community to play a role in resolving the Sino-Tibetan conflict.