The ‘Middle Way’ approach to Tibet

17-04-2022

Myriam Whaibe

China and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, stated in a rare political remark in India this month that a Middle Way approach to the subject of Tibet's status under Beijing's authority is not about politics alone and will benefit both the Tibetan and Chinese people.

"The Middle Way method is not merely a political and administrative approach," the Dalai Lama remarked on April 7 in Dharamsala, India, where Tibet's exile government is based.

"Rather, it is a pragmatic strategy that benefits both Tibetans and Chinese, allowing Tibetans to keep their culture and religion while maintaining their identity. We cannot expel the Chinese from our lands through violence."

Tibet, which was formerly an independent country, was invaded and absorbed into China by force more than 70 years ago. Some Tibetans have advocated for the country's former independence to be restored in the discussion over how best to improve the rights of Tibetans living under Beijing's authority.

While the Chinese Communist government is perpetrating a cultural genocide against Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Mongols, the Dalai Lama has taken on the moral burden of both stopping the tragedy and taking effective action.

"The Middle Way method aims to bring these two things together by imagining a future of contacts and exchanges," Respinti explained.

The Chinese Communist Party, on the other hand, is still hell-bent on destroying Tibet's national and cultural identity, and wants nothing more than "complete capitulation to its totalitarian control," according to Respinti. "Tibetans' last noble chance to offer the CCP is the Middle Way approach, but the CCP has no intention of taking it."

Sources and further reading:

Radio Free Asia (2022, April 13), ‘Middle Way’ approach for Tibet not just about politics: Dalai Lama”

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/approach-04132022161253.html