Free Tibet regards this change in position as a betrayal of the Tibetan people by the British government. And, as Free Tibet has said in an open letter to the Foreign Secretary: [Britain] has “rewarded China with a prized concession in the very year that China has perpetrated its worst human rights violations in Tibet in decades.” Until the change was announced, China had never been able to say that the entire international community recognised Tibet as a part of China because the country most competent to judge, Britain, did not share that view. (Britain formed treaties with the Tibetan government before the 1950 Chinese invasion; Tibet shared a land border with British India before 1947 and Britain maintained a diplomatic mission in Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, until 1947.)
Click here to read more about Britain's historical relationship with Tibet

Britain’s historical position that Tibet was not part of China was formalised in treaties signed with the Tibetan government, such as the Simla Accords of 1914. The British position has formed part of the legal and political basis of the argument advanced by the Tibetan Government-in-Exile for greater autonomy in Tibet and was put forward by the Dalai Lama's envoys at varying stages of the dialogue process. In the seventh round, which took place in Beijing between 1-2 July 2008, the Chinese side specifically requested a memorandum from the Tibetan side setting out the Tibetan argument for autonomy. This memorandum was the most detailed document submitted by either side during the dialogue process.

Click here to read the full memorandum.

By announcing that Tibet was henceforth to be regarded by Britain “as part of the People’s Republic of China”, the British government effectively removed any remaining incentive for China to stay in a dialogue process aimed at delivering greater autonomy to the Tibetan people. With spectacularly bad timing, Britain changed its position on the status of Tibet just two days before the Dalai Lama’s envoys were due to deliver the detailed Tibetan memorandum on autonomy, pulling the rug from under the Tibetan side’s feet and rendering the memorandum stillborn.

Less than two weeks after the Foreign Secretary’s announcement, Zhu Weiqun – a Vice-Minister in the Chinese government’s dialogue team – staged a press conference in Beijing on Monday 10 November. In a significant departure from the language used following previous rounds, Zhu announced that the Chinese government viewed the talks as a failure and aggressively blamed the Tibetan side. The hardline nature of the language used by Zhu, coupled with the broadcast of the press conference live on Chinese state television, signalled that the talks were effectively over.  

Just days after the press conference Vice-Minister Zhu appeared in London where he is known to have met with Minister of State, Bill Rammell, at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In an indication of the significance of Britain’s change of position on Tibet, Zhu told the BBC that his government appreciated the British statement.

Click here to read Free Tibet’s open letter to the Foreign Secretary

Click here to read our press release of 10/11/08: Humiliation for Britain as talks break down
Click here to read our press release of 06/11/08: Britain rewrites history on Tibet
Click here to read the full ministerial statement
Click here to read the full memorandum of autonomy
Click here to read the statement of a senior MEP accusing David Miliband of 'treachery'
Click here to read the Guardian's article: China snubs Dalai Lama call for high level of autonomy