The White Paper 1992

The document 'Tibet: Its Ownership and Human Rights Situation,' also known as the 'China White Paper', was issued by the Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China in September 1992, and provides the definitive Chinese Government line on Tibet to date.

Since the full-length document contains over 80 pages, representative extracts under the original chapter headings are given below.

Ownership of Tibet

By the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Tibetans and Hans [Chinese] had, through marriage between royal families and meetings leading to alliances, cemented political and kinship ties of unity and political friendship and formed close economic and cultural relations, laying a solid foundation for the ultimate founding of a unified nation.

·       In the mid-13th century, Tibet was officially incorporated into the territory of China's Yuan Dynasty [1271-1368]. Since then, although China experienced several dynastic changes, Tibet has remained under the jurisdiction of the central government of China.

·       When the Qing Dynasty [1644-1911] replaced the Ming Dynasty in 1644, it further strengthened administration over Tibet. (A High Commission was set up in Lhasa in 1727 under an 'amban' [imperial resident], who supervised the "handling of Tibetan affairs on behalf of the central government," and who enjoyed "equal standing with the Dalai Lama...")

·       The Qing Dynasty was overthrown in the 1911 Chinese Revolution. During his inauguration speech as first president of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen announced "the unification of the Han [Chinese], Manchu, Mongol, Hui and Tibetan peoples."

·       The People's Republic of China was founded in 1949 after decisive victories in the Chinese people's war of liberation. Beiping [Beijing], Hunan and the provinces bordering on Tibet - Yunnan, Xinjiang and Xikang [Sikang] - were all liberated peacefully from the rule of the former Guomindang Government. In the light of the history and reality of Tibet, the Central People's Government decided to do the same for Tibet. In January 1950, the Central Government formally notified the local authorities of Tibet to "send delegates to Beijing to negotiate the peaceful liberation of Tibet."

·       On 23 May 1951, the Agreement of the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet (ie: the Seventeen-Point Agreement) was signed after the delegates of the Central People's Government and the Tibetan Local Government had reached agreement on a series of questions concerning Tibet's peaceful liberation.

Origins of so-called 'Tibetan Independence'

·       For more than 700 hundred years, the central government of China has continuously exercised sovereignty over Tibet, and Tibet has never been an independent state. No government of any country in the world has ever recognised Tibet as an independent state.

·       Before peaceful liberation in 1951, Tibet was under a feudal serfdom characterised by the dictatorship of upper-class monks and nobles. The broad masses of serfs in Tibet eagerly wanted to break the shackles of serfdom. After the peaceful liberation, many enlightened people of the upper and middle classes also realised that if the old system was not reformed, the Tibetan people would never attain prosperity.

·       However, some members of the Tibetan ruling class were hostile to reform and wanted to preserve serfdom so as to maintain their vested interests. They deliberately violated and sabotaged the Seventeen-Point Agreement and intensified their efforts to split the motherland.

·       Following rumours that Chinese troops were planning to kidnap or murder the Dalai Lama, a large crowd gathered outside the Norbu Lingka (the official residence of the Dalai Lama), shouting pro-independence slogans. On 17 March 1959, Tibetan "rebels" carried the Dalai Lama away to their base in Shannan "under duress."

·       After the Dalai Lama left Lhasa, about 7,000 rebels gathered to wage a full-scale attack on the [Communist] Party [and] government and army institutions on 20 March. The PLA, driven beyond its forbearance, launched under orders a counter-attack at 10am the same day. With the support of patriotic Tibetan monks and lay people, the PLA completely put down the armed rebellion in Lhasa within two days. Before long, the PLA suppressed the armed rebellion in Shannan, where the rebels had been entrenched for a long time. Armed rebel forces who fled to other places were dissolved.

The Dalai Clique's Separatist Activities and the Central Government's Policy

·       Starting from the point of maintaining the unification of the motherland and national unity, the Central Government adopted an attitude of patient waiting towards the Dalai Lama after he fled abroad. His position as a vice-chairman of the NPC [National People's Congress] Standing Committee was preserved until 1964. However, surrounded by foreign anti-China forces and Tibetan separatists, the Dalai Lama completely renounced the patriotic stand which he once expressed and engaged in numerous activities to split the motherland:

o      Advocating that "Tibet is an independent state."

o      Setting up the "Government-in-Exile".

o      Reorganising the armed rebel forces.

o      Spreading rumours and calumnies and plotting riots.

·       The Central Government did everything possible to persuade the Dalai Lama and his followers, through negotiations, to give up their separatism and return to the motherland.

·       Regretfully, the Dalai Lama did not draw on the goodwill of the Central Government. Instead, he further intensified his separatist activities. At a meeting of the Human Rights Sub-Committee of the US Congress held in September 1987, the Dalai Lama put forward a "Five-Point Proposal" [the Five-Point Peace Plan] regarding the so-called status of Tibet. He continued to advocate "Tibetan independence" and instigate and plot a number of riots in Lhasa. In June 1988, the Dalai Lama raised a so-called "Strasbourg Proposal" for the solution of the Tibet issue.

·       As 1989 witnessed a new international anti-China wave [following the Tiananmen Square massacre], the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in Norway, with clearly political motives, awarded the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize to the Dalai Lama, giving its strong support to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan separatists. Since then, the Dalai Lama has travelled the world, advocating Tibet's separation from China.

·       It is because the Dalai Lama sticks to his position of "Tibetan independence" and continues his efforts to split the motherland that contacts between the Central Government and the representatives of the Dalai Lama have yielded no results.

·       So long as the Dalai Lama can give up his divisive stand and admit that Tibet is an inalienable part of China, the Central Government is willing to hold talks at any time with him. The Dalai Lama is warmly welcome to return to the embrace of the motherland at an early date and do some work that is conducive to maintaining the motherland's unification, the national unity, as well as the affluent and happy lives of the Tibetan people.

Feudal Serfdom in Old Tibet

·       Before the Democratic Reform of 1959, Tibet had long been a society of feudal serfdom under the despotic religio-political rule of lamas and nobles; a society which was darker and more cruel than the European serfdom of the Middle Ages.

·       Under the centuries-long feudal serfdom, the Tibetan serfs were politically oppressed, economically exploited and frequently persecuted. Old Tibet can be said to have been one of the world's regions witnessing the most serious violations of human rights.

The People Gain Personal Freedom

·       After the quelling of the armed rebellion in 1959, the Central People's Government, in compliance with the wishes of the Tibetan people, conducted the Democratic Reform in Tibet and abolished the extremely decadent and dark feudal serfdom. The million serfs and slaves were emancipated.

The People Enjoy Political Rights

·       The Democratic Reform in 1959 put an end to the political system of combining religious with political rule and introduced the new political system of people's democracy. Under the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, the Tibetan people, like the people of various nationalities throughout the country, have become masters of the country and enjoy full political rights provided for by the law.

·       Tibet practises regional national autonomy in accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China. In March 1955, the Central Government decided to set up the Preparatory Committee for the Tibet Autonomous Region. In September 1965, the First Session of the First People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region was held in Lhasa and the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region was officially announced.

Economic Development and Improvement of Living Standards

·       Due to efforts made in the past 40-odd years, the living standards of the Tibetan people have improved markedly. Most farmers and herdsmen have adequate food and clothing and some have attained relative affluence.

·       Due to Tibet's extremely harsh natural conditions and its extremely backward social development in history, the level of economic development and the living standards of the people are still lower than the nation's average. In 1989, the Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region formulated 'Strategic Ideas for the Economic and Social Development of Tibet.' It has implemented the policy of opening up to the rest of China and the outside world as well; exploring the regional, domestic and foreign markets; developing advantageous resources; and stepping up development of key areas and key industries. The goal is to narrow as soon as possible the gap in economic development between Tibet and other areas of the nation in order to lay a solid foundation for the common prosperity of Tibetan and other ethnic groups.

Freedom of Religious Belief

·       Respect for and protection of religious belief is a basic policy of the Chinese Government. After the peaceful liberation of Tibet, organisations at all levels in Tibet earnestly carried out the policy, gaining the appreciation of both monks and lay people. Protected by the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and state laws, the Tibetan people now enjoy full freedom to participate in normal religious activities.

·       During the period of the "Cultural Revolution" (1966-76), however, in Tibet as in other parts of China, the policy on freedom of religious belief was disrupted, and sites and facilities for religious activities were seriously damaged. After the "Cultural Revolution" ended, the policy on freedom of religious belief began to be implemented again in Tibet. Since 1980, religious institutions have been reinstated or established, and a great deal of work has been done to ensure freedom of religious belief for all citizens.

·       Those who carry out law-breaking and conduct criminal activities under the guise of religion will be prosecuted according to the law. In recent years, some monks and nuns in Tibet received legal retribution because they infringed on the law. They were involved in riots that endangered social security and disrupted public order, engaged in beating, smashing, looting, burning and killing and carried out other criminal activities. None was arrested and declared guilty because of religious belief.

Development of Education and Culture

·       Education in old Tibet was very backward. There were no schools in the modern sense. Before Tibet's peaceful liberation, only some 2,000 monks and children of the nobility studied in government and private schools. The masses of serfs and slaves had no right to receive education.

·       The development of education in Tibet has enhanced the cultural level of citizens, creating conditions for the Tibetan people to better exercise their right of regional autonomy as an ethnic minority and attain overall development. However, since the foundations of education in Tibet were very weak and the population sparsely scattered, illiterates and semi-illiterates still make up a considerable proportion in Tibet's population, although they are now in the minority rather than in the majority, as they were in the past. Further development of education remains a strenuous and pressing task in Tibet.

·       Tibet has a rich traditional culture which covers language, literature, art, philosophy, religion, medicine and the celestial almanac. The Chinese Government has always attached importance to protecting and developing the excellent traditional culture of the Tibetan ethnic group. It has adopted a series of policies and measures to honour, protect and ensure the flourishing of Tibet's traditional culture, enabling the legacy of Tibetan culture to be inherited and developed.

·       Speakers of different languages are treated equally in the recruitment of workers, cadres and students, with priority always given to Tibetan speakers. Tibetan is used in large meetings attended by the masses. All work units, streets, roads and public facilities are marked in both Tibetan and Chinese script. The Tibetan language is the main subject of all schools at different levels.

People's Health and Demographic Growth

·       The Government provides free medical care for all Tibetans. This, plus considerable improvements in medical and health conditions, has greatly raised the average life span and health level of the Tibetan people. Average life expectancy has risen from 36 years before liberation to 65 years at present.

·       As Tibet's population has been increasing at a fast rate, population control is necessary. Since 1984, the Regional Government has advocated and carried out the policy of two children per couple among Tibetan cadres, workers and the staff of enterprises and residents in cities and towns. However, among the Han cadres, workers and staff members in Tibet, the policy of one child per couple has been advocated and enforced. Only 12% of the people in Tibet are covered by the family planning policy. In the process of carrying out family planning, the Government always persists in the principle of "mainly publicity, volunteering and service," and prohibits any form of forced abortion.

·       On the question of the size of the Tibetan population, the Dalai Clique has spread many rumours. The most sensational was that more than 1.2 million people were killed after the peaceful liberation of Tibet. In 1953, the Tibetan Local Government under the Dalai Lama reported the population stood at one million people. If 1.2 million inhabitants had been massacred, it would have been a case of genocide and certainly the population in Tibet could not have increased to the present two million.

·       The Dalai Clique has also contended that geographically Tibet extends far beyond the boundaries of today, including areas inhabited by the Tibetans in Sichuan, Qinghai and other places, making a total population of six million. This so-called Greater Tibet is merely a conspiracy hatched by imperialists in an attempt to carve up China. As a result of long historical changes, ethnic Tibetans have settled not only in Tibet but also in areas in Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces. But these areas were not under the jurisdiction of Tibet in the past, and the former Tibetan Local Government never administered any Tibetan-inhabited areas beyond Tibet.

·       Another lie is the claim that a large number of Hans have migrated to Tibet, turning the ethnic Tibetans into a minority. It is very easy to confuse and poison the minds of people who are not aware of the truth. In Tibet, the natural conditions are harsh, the air is oxygen-poor and the climate is bitterly cold. Most of the land consists of mountains, wilderness and permafrost and snow zones. Customs there are so different from those in the heartland of the country that people from the interior can hardly adapt to them. Tibet is not like the western part of the United States, where large numbers of people moved in for development. The figures from various national censuses have thoroughly exploded the lie that the Han population in Tibet has already surpassed that of the Tibetans.

Protection of Living Environment

·       While vigorously developing [the] Tibetan economy, the People's Government attaches great importance to environmental protection in Tibet. Conscientiously carrying out the state's basic policy on environmental protection, the Tibet Autonomous Region perseveres in its strategy of synchronised planning and undertaking of economic, urban, rural and environmental construction.

·       While bolstering the ecological environment, Tibet is strengthening environmental administration. For all construction projects that might affect the environment, the region follows the "environmental impact appraisal" system and the system of designing, building and putting into operation pollution treatment facilities and construction projects at the same time.

·       According to the monitoring station [the Environmental Monitoring Station in Lhasa], the environmental conditions are good in Tibet. Generally speaking, there is no pollution of the atmosphere or water. No acid rain has fallen in the region. The annual level of suspended particulate matter in the urban atmosphere averages 340 micrograms/cubic metre a day, well within state standards. Apart from slight pollution in several sections of river, the water quality of the region's rivers and lakes is good. Radioactive elements are at the normal background level, causing no deleterious pollution. The Dalai Clique's accusations that China has stored its nuclear waste in Tibet are therefore purely fiction.

Special State Aid for Tibet's Development

·       To further accelerate Tibet's economic and cultural construction and attain the target of a comfortable lifestyle for most Tibetans, the Central Government will continue to offer great support to Tibet. State-invested projects in Tibet have been established and written into a development program. The construction projects include the following:

o      to develop the drainage area of the Yarlung Zangbo, Lhasa and Nyang Qu [Nyang Chu] rivers, to enable growth in agriculture and light industry.

o      to build a pump-storage power station in Lhasa.

o      to rebuild the Qinghai-Tibet, Sichuan-Tibet, Nagqu-Qamdo [Chamdo] and China-Nepal highways.

o      to expand the Gonggar Airport in Lhasa.

o      to build a modern post and telecommunications centre in Lhasa.

·       The realities of Tibet fully show that the Tibetan people, who have shaken off the yoke of feudal serfdom, now enjoy extensive human rights which they have never been able to enjoy before. But their human rights are not yet complete because of Tibet's backward economy and culture and its harsh geographic conditions. Continuous and sustained efforts should be made to improve the human rights situation. The Chinese Government and people are trying their best to accomplish this. However, the human rights the Tibetan people enjoy today are poles apart from those under feudal serfdom. The Dalai Clique and international anti-China forces, who flaunt the banner of "champions of human rights," do not denounce the dark, savage and cruel feudal serfdom at all, under which the Tibetan people were deprived of all human rights by the serf-owners. But they continue to tell lies even after [the] lies they told previously have been exploded, alleging that the Tibetan people, who have become masters of the country, have lost their human rights. Their purpose is to mislead the public and create confusion in an attempt to realise their dream of dismembering China, seizing Tibet and finally subverting socialist China. Here lies the essence of so-called human rights in Tibet.

·       No plot to split China will ever succeed. The close relations between the Tibetan people and other ethnic groups in China have lasted for several thousand years. And Tibet has been unified with the other provinces and autonomous regions to make up a unitary country for seven centuries. In such a long period of time, Tibet's relations with other provinces and autonomous regions have become closer and closer, and there has never been separation. This is by no means fortuitous. The fundamental reason is that unity or separation has a decisive bearing on the prospering or decline of the Tibetan, Han and all the other ethnic groups of China. Unity spells common prosperity, and separation would mean peril to both parties. The long-lasting unification of Tibet with other parts of China is the inevitable outcome of a long history. So the Han people and the other ethnic groups absolutely will not accept separation of Tibet from China, nor will the Tibetan people themselves.