20 July 2024

Held back-channel talks with China earlier this month, says Tibetan leader

Rezaul H Laskar

The Tibetan government-in-exile is continuing its back-channel communications with China to find a resolution to the issue of Tibet, with the latest contact made at the beginning of this month, the head of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) said on Wednesday.

Penpa Tsering, Sikyong or political leader of the government-in-exile based in Dharamshala, contended that developments such as the Indian government’s clearance for a US Congressional delegation to meet the Dalai Lama, India’s support for the Philippines in the South China Sea, and the Indian prime minister’s decision to skip the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit were all a response to “China’s behaviour”.

Tsering also told a small group of reporters the Resolve Tibet Act, signed by US President Joe Biden on July 12, offers clarity about Washington’s position by stating that the China-Tibet dispute must be resolved in line with international law through a dialogue without preconditions, and by recognising that the Tibetan people have the right to self-determination.

“If you ask me, do we have back channels? Yes, we do. It’s going on,” Tsering said while responding to a question on China ruling out talks with the CTA after he revealed the back-channel communications in April.

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