Current talks and disagreements

Partially due to the lack of agreement in even basic historical facts (see Part 1 if you are unfamiliar with the conflict's history), current negotiations are not going smoothly. Ever since 1960, when Tibet’s government-in-exile was formed in India’s Dharamsala, peace talks have generally been unproductive.

The latest round in meetings began in 2002, when the Dalai Lama’s brother succeeded in convincing Chinese officials to meet groups of Tibetan delegates for discussion. Although hopes were high in the beginning, the talks quickly stalled and the delegates were unable to agree on even the smallest policies to enact. International governments, most of them having taken an official stance encouraging the talks, generally laid the blame on China for not being open to implementing policies deemed priorities by Tibet.

The 14^th Dalai Lama’s Five-Point Peace Plan asks for “1.) Transformation of the whole of Tibet into a zone of peace; 2.) Abandonment of China's population transfer policy which threatens the very existence of the Tibetans as a people; 3.) Respect for the Tibetan people's fundamental human rights and democratic freedoms; 4.) Restoration and protection of Tibet's natural environment and the abandonment of China's use of Tibet for the production of nuclear weapons and dumping of nuclear waste; 5.) Commencement of earnest negotiations on the future status of Tibet and of relations between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples” (Dalai Lama XIV, 5 Point Peace Plan Presentation to U.S. Congress. 9-21-1987).

China refused to consider the plan. By 2008, the Dalai Lama expressed frustration and called the talks “difficult and disappointing” (www.savetibet.org/tibetan-chinese-negotiations). Meanwhile, demonstrations and unrest have staunchly continued, straining the PRC-Tibet relationship even further.