"The Chinese Communist Party celebrates the ‘liberation’ of Tibet every decade. It has repeatedly tried to convince the Tibetan people that the Communist Party saved us from the dark ages, that happiness and development have been bestowed on Tibet by the Communist Party. In fact, we Tibetans do not benefit much from the occupation, and we have lost our freedom."                Tsering Dorje

As part of the ‘celebrations’ of the 60th anniversary of the so-called peaceful liberation of Tibet, Xi Jinping, the Chinese Vice-President, visited Lhasa last Friday. His visit is significant because Jinping is expected to become Party Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2012 and State President in March 2013.

In Lhasa Xi repeated Bejing's current hard-line rhetoric:  " We should throughly fight against separatist activities of the Dalai clique by firmly relying on all ethnic groups and completely smash any plot to destroy stability in Tibet and jeopardize national unity".

Little is known about Xi's views and it remains to be seen if Xi will continue the repressive Tibetan policies  of the current Chinese government. What we know is that his father, a former vice premier, had visited Tibet and has treasured a golden watch given to him by the Dalai Lama. It remains to be seen if his family background would influence how Xi Jinping views Tibet.

Xi’s visit was surrounded by tight security. A source in Lhasa told Free Tibet that military and police checkpoints were put in place a few days before his visit, checking every single car and person’s identity card. The military and police were even checking the identity cards of people in public entertainment venues, including bars and nightclubs, trying to identify non-Lhasa residents.

A local source reported that the military presence “is currently as bad as it was after the protests in 2008”. In the busy West Lhasa station, buses were diverted to Tolung County, 70 kilometres away from Lhasa’s city centre, while armed forces conducted thorough checks of identity cards.

China has closed Tibet to foreigners for the second time in 2011 while 'celebrations' to mark 60 years of Chinese rule in Tibet take place. China prevents foreigners from entering Tibet as a matter of course when the authorities are concerned about the possibility of protests meaning that neither protests nor any Chinese response are witnessed by the outside world. Tibet is expected to remain closed to foreigners for the whole of July 2011.

China celebrated the 60th anniversary of the invasion of Tibet by the People's Liberation Army in 1949-50 which they call "peaceful liberation" on 23 May 2011, but the 'celebrations' continue.

China justifies its rule over Tibet with the Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet (known as the 17-point-agreement), signed under duress by Tibetan delegates in Beijing on 23 May 1951.

The agreement effectively surrendered Tibet’s independence to China. It authorised Chinese forces to enter Tibet and for China to control Tibet’s external affairs.                                                                                

The agreement also guaranteed that China would not alter the existing political system in Tibet and would not interfere with the established status, function and powers of the Dalai Lama. It recognised Tibet as having a distinct historical, political and cultural status. The Tibetan people were to have regional autonomy, and their religious beliefs and customs were to be respected. The agreement promised that reforms in Tibet would be implemented only after consultation with leading Tibetans and without compulsion.

Clearly, China did not adhere to the agreement. In 1951 the People's Libreration Army troops took military control  of Tibet.

In March 1959, growing Tibetan resistance exploded in an uprising against the Chinese occupation which was brutally put down. The Dalai Lama fled Tibet and once in India where he could speak freely he made it clear that he and his government were denouncing the Seventeen-Point Agreement because it had been signed under duress, by 'the threat of gun’ and the terms had been broken by the Chinese authorities.

"Far from carrying out the agreement they began deliberately to pursue a course of policy which was diametrically opposed to the terms and conditions which they have themselves laid down. Thus commenced a reign of terror which finds few parallels in the history of Tibet.” Dalai Lama, 1959

In the last six decades the Chinese government has implemented policies that seek to destroy Tibet's  culture, language, and identity.

Propaganda photos from Xinhua about the celebrations in Lhasa 17-19 July.

Read the 17 point agreeement

Read the report "17 Points of Disagreement". The report lists 17 'Points of Disagreement' between China Free Tibet.

Read excerpts from the Dalai Lama's press statements  in 1959 of his rejection of the agreement

Tourists are banned from Tibet