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The Advertiser
12 hours ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
'They weren't threatening but they were very clear': what the Chinese said during their visit to Newcastle
Newcastle Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge admits he was "a bit surprised" the subjects of Tibet, Taiwan and nuclear submarines arose during a meeting with Chinese Consul General Wang Yu, which had been pitched as a 'meet and greet'. The same issues were again raised during a lunch with Hunter union representatives following the meeting. Last Thursday's meeting with the Lord Mayor, chief of staff Gina Hanson and government relations manager Nikki Taylor had been scheduled with the recently appointed Consul General about six weeks ago. No agenda was provided, and no other councillors, nor members of the City of Newcastle's executive leadership team, were present. After exchanging pleasantries and engaging in a general discussion about the city, the delegation proactively raised their country's position on Tibet and Taiwan. "We talked about Tibet and how many Tibetans live in Newcastle. I said, yes, there is a Tibetan community in Newcastle and they don't cause any trouble," Cr Kerridge said. "They talked about their position on Taiwan in much the same way. "I was a bit surprised; they weren't threatening, but they were very clear." The conversation then moved to whether Newcastle was going to be a nuclear submarine base. "I remarked that Newcastle Council's long-standing policy is that we are a non-nuclear city, but that any decision about a submarine base would be a matter for the state and federal governments. He did explain that a submarine base in Newcastle would make China less interested in investing in the area," Cr Kerridge said. Cr Kerridge said that, while he was satisfied with how he handled the conversation, he said he would have sought advice if he had been aware the contentious issues were going to be raised. "If they had said that they wanted to talk about those things, we would have sought advice. By putting it on the agenda, it would have been more than just, 'this is our position', Cr Kerridge said. Cr Kerridge said the meeting highlighted the need for the council to develop an external relations policy. 'As I see it, part of our role is to liaise with groups like this. You should have a standard approach about what you engage in and how you do it." Minutes of the meeting were circulated to councillors and subsequently leaked to the Daily Telegraph. "(Leaking the minutes) doesn't help our relationship with China. It's important that we are polite and respectful to all countries," Cr Kerridge said. The lord mayor's second-in-charge, Liberal deputy lord mayor Callum Pull, said he was left in the dark about the meeting with the Chinese diplomat. Cr Pull said it was "made clear" to the lord mayor that the meeting should be reported to Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong. "Reading the record of this meeting immediately rang alarm bells," he said. "I and other councillors have questioned why we were not informed of, or invited to the meeting, and why the meeting occurred with apparently no agenda, stated intent or clear purpose." The Newcastle Herald understands at least one other councillor was invited to the meeting. Since Cr Kerridge's election, he has held meetings with Kongsberg Defence Australia, the Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, Newcastle Airport, the Port of Newcastle and the Hunter Defence Task Force. Defence has signed an $850 million contract with Kongsberg to establish Australia's first guided weapons production factory at Williamtown. Liberal Senator Maria Kovacic, duty senator for the Hunter, has publicly stated that the meeting should "ring alarm bells at the highest levels of government". Cr Pull said the Opposition's concerns about the matter are "well-founded" as it is unclear whether the lord mayor was exposed to sensitive information concerning national security at prior meetings. "I encourage the Commonwealth to take all necessary steps to assess and respond to any potential national security risks this meeting may have caused," he said. "I am also deeply concerned about what seem to be threats if we support the Tibetan or Taiwanese communities. "As councillors, we should support all communities regardless of their ethnic background." Following the meeting with the Lord Mayor, the Chinese delegation met with Hunter union representatives for lunch at the Dockyard Hotel in Honeysuckle. Hunter Workers secretary Leigh Shears said the lunch followed a dinner he had recently attended at the Chinese embassy with members of the South Coast Labour Council to commemorate the 1938 Dalfram Dispute. "The dinner was the initial contact for us. We saw the delegation's visit to Newcastle as an opportunity to establish a relationship with the Chinese companies that own 21 per cent of our electricity assets, are a major owner of coal assets in our region as well as the port," Hunter Workers Secretary Leigh Shears said. "From our perspective, those were the things we wanted to talk to them about." Mr Shears confirmed the issues of Tibet, Taiwan and nuclear submarines were raised. "They didn't go into detail about their positions or what their concerns were. They said there is a Tibetan community here in Newcastle. Do you know them? "I said I don't know personally and we left it at that. They didn't raise it in a confrontational way and it wasn't awkward." Hunter Workers presented the delegation with a framed print of Newcastle Trades Hall secretary George Bass leaving Newcastle Courthouse with Chinese seafarers during the 1937 Silksworth Dispute at the Port of Newcastle. Newcastle Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge admits he was "a bit surprised" the subjects of Tibet, Taiwan and nuclear submarines arose during a meeting with Chinese Consul General Wang Yu, which had been pitched as a 'meet and greet'. The same issues were again raised during a lunch with Hunter union representatives following the meeting. Last Thursday's meeting with the Lord Mayor, chief of staff Gina Hanson and government relations manager Nikki Taylor had been scheduled with the recently appointed Consul General about six weeks ago. No agenda was provided, and no other councillors, nor members of the City of Newcastle's executive leadership team, were present. After exchanging pleasantries and engaging in a general discussion about the city, the delegation proactively raised their country's position on Tibet and Taiwan. "We talked about Tibet and how many Tibetans live in Newcastle. I said, yes, there is a Tibetan community in Newcastle and they don't cause any trouble," Cr Kerridge said. "They talked about their position on Taiwan in much the same way. "I was a bit surprised; they weren't threatening, but they were very clear." The conversation then moved to whether Newcastle was going to be a nuclear submarine base. "I remarked that Newcastle Council's long-standing policy is that we are a non-nuclear city, but that any decision about a submarine base would be a matter for the state and federal governments. He did explain that a submarine base in Newcastle would make China less interested in investing in the area," Cr Kerridge said. Cr Kerridge said that, while he was satisfied with how he handled the conversation, he said he would have sought advice if he had been aware the contentious issues were going to be raised. "If they had said that they wanted to talk about those things, we would have sought advice. By putting it on the agenda, it would have been more than just, 'this is our position', Cr Kerridge said. Cr Kerridge said the meeting highlighted the need for the council to develop an external relations policy. 'As I see it, part of our role is to liaise with groups like this. You should have a standard approach about what you engage in and how you do it." Minutes of the meeting were circulated to councillors and subsequently leaked to the Daily Telegraph. "(Leaking the minutes) doesn't help our relationship with China. It's important that we are polite and respectful to all countries," Cr Kerridge said. The lord mayor's second-in-charge, Liberal deputy lord mayor Callum Pull, said he was left in the dark about the meeting with the Chinese diplomat. Cr Pull said it was "made clear" to the lord mayor that the meeting should be reported to Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong. "Reading the record of this meeting immediately rang alarm bells," he said. "I and other councillors have questioned why we were not informed of, or invited to the meeting, and why the meeting occurred with apparently no agenda, stated intent or clear purpose." The Newcastle Herald understands at least one other councillor was invited to the meeting. Since Cr Kerridge's election, he has held meetings with Kongsberg Defence Australia, the Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, Newcastle Airport, the Port of Newcastle and the Hunter Defence Task Force. Defence has signed an $850 million contract with Kongsberg to establish Australia's first guided weapons production factory at Williamtown. Liberal Senator Maria Kovacic, duty senator for the Hunter, has publicly stated that the meeting should "ring alarm bells at the highest levels of government". Cr Pull said the Opposition's concerns about the matter are "well-founded" as it is unclear whether the lord mayor was exposed to sensitive information concerning national security at prior meetings. "I encourage the Commonwealth to take all necessary steps to assess and respond to any potential national security risks this meeting may have caused," he said. "I am also deeply concerned about what seem to be threats if we support the Tibetan or Taiwanese communities. "As councillors, we should support all communities regardless of their ethnic background." Following the meeting with the Lord Mayor, the Chinese delegation met with Hunter union representatives for lunch at the Dockyard Hotel in Honeysuckle. Hunter Workers secretary Leigh Shears said the lunch followed a dinner he had recently attended at the Chinese embassy with members of the South Coast Labour Council to commemorate the 1938 Dalfram Dispute. "The dinner was the initial contact for us. We saw the delegation's visit to Newcastle as an opportunity to establish a relationship with the Chinese companies that own 21 per cent of our electricity assets, are a major owner of coal assets in our region as well as the port," Hunter Workers Secretary Leigh Shears said. "From our perspective, those were the things we wanted to talk to them about." Mr Shears confirmed the issues of Tibet, Taiwan and nuclear submarines were raised. "They didn't go into detail about their positions or what their concerns were. They said there is a Tibetan community here in Newcastle. Do you know them? "I said I don't know personally and we left it at that. They didn't raise it in a confrontational way and it wasn't awkward." Hunter Workers presented the delegation with a framed print of Newcastle Trades Hall secretary George Bass leaving Newcastle Courthouse with Chinese seafarers during the 1937 Silksworth Dispute at the Port of Newcastle. Newcastle Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge admits he was "a bit surprised" the subjects of Tibet, Taiwan and nuclear submarines arose during a meeting with Chinese Consul General Wang Yu, which had been pitched as a 'meet and greet'. The same issues were again raised during a lunch with Hunter union representatives following the meeting. Last Thursday's meeting with the Lord Mayor, chief of staff Gina Hanson and government relations manager Nikki Taylor had been scheduled with the recently appointed Consul General about six weeks ago. No agenda was provided, and no other councillors, nor members of the City of Newcastle's executive leadership team, were present. After exchanging pleasantries and engaging in a general discussion about the city, the delegation proactively raised their country's position on Tibet and Taiwan. "We talked about Tibet and how many Tibetans live in Newcastle. I said, yes, there is a Tibetan community in Newcastle and they don't cause any trouble," Cr Kerridge said. "They talked about their position on Taiwan in much the same way. "I was a bit surprised; they weren't threatening, but they were very clear." The conversation then moved to whether Newcastle was going to be a nuclear submarine base. "I remarked that Newcastle Council's long-standing policy is that we are a non-nuclear city, but that any decision about a submarine base would be a matter for the state and federal governments. He did explain that a submarine base in Newcastle would make China less interested in investing in the area," Cr Kerridge said. Cr Kerridge said that, while he was satisfied with how he handled the conversation, he said he would have sought advice if he had been aware the contentious issues were going to be raised. "If they had said that they wanted to talk about those things, we would have sought advice. By putting it on the agenda, it would have been more than just, 'this is our position', Cr Kerridge said. Cr Kerridge said the meeting highlighted the need for the council to develop an external relations policy. 'As I see it, part of our role is to liaise with groups like this. You should have a standard approach about what you engage in and how you do it." Minutes of the meeting were circulated to councillors and subsequently leaked to the Daily Telegraph. "(Leaking the minutes) doesn't help our relationship with China. It's important that we are polite and respectful to all countries," Cr Kerridge said. The lord mayor's second-in-charge, Liberal deputy lord mayor Callum Pull, said he was left in the dark about the meeting with the Chinese diplomat. Cr Pull said it was "made clear" to the lord mayor that the meeting should be reported to Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong. "Reading the record of this meeting immediately rang alarm bells," he said. "I and other councillors have questioned why we were not informed of, or invited to the meeting, and why the meeting occurred with apparently no agenda, stated intent or clear purpose." The Newcastle Herald understands at least one other councillor was invited to the meeting. Since Cr Kerridge's election, he has held meetings with Kongsberg Defence Australia, the Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, Newcastle Airport, the Port of Newcastle and the Hunter Defence Task Force. Defence has signed an $850 million contract with Kongsberg to establish Australia's first guided weapons production factory at Williamtown. Liberal Senator Maria Kovacic, duty senator for the Hunter, has publicly stated that the meeting should "ring alarm bells at the highest levels of government". Cr Pull said the Opposition's concerns about the matter are "well-founded" as it is unclear whether the lord mayor was exposed to sensitive information concerning national security at prior meetings. "I encourage the Commonwealth to take all necessary steps to assess and respond to any potential national security risks this meeting may have caused," he said. "I am also deeply concerned about what seem to be threats if we support the Tibetan or Taiwanese communities. "As councillors, we should support all communities regardless of their ethnic background." Following the meeting with the Lord Mayor, the Chinese delegation met with Hunter union representatives for lunch at the Dockyard Hotel in Honeysuckle. Hunter Workers secretary Leigh Shears said the lunch followed a dinner he had recently attended at the Chinese embassy with members of the South Coast Labour Council to commemorate the 1938 Dalfram Dispute. "The dinner was the initial contact for us. We saw the delegation's visit to Newcastle as an opportunity to establish a relationship with the Chinese companies that own 21 per cent of our electricity assets, are a major owner of coal assets in our region as well as the port," Hunter Workers Secretary Leigh Shears said. "From our perspective, those were the things we wanted to talk to them about." Mr Shears confirmed the issues of Tibet, Taiwan and nuclear submarines were raised. "They didn't go into detail about their positions or what their concerns were. They said there is a Tibetan community here in Newcastle. Do you know them? "I said I don't know personally and we left it at that. They didn't raise it in a confrontational way and it wasn't awkward." Hunter Workers presented the delegation with a framed print of Newcastle Trades Hall secretary George Bass leaving Newcastle Courthouse with Chinese seafarers during the 1937 Silksworth Dispute at the Port of Newcastle. Newcastle Lord Mayor Ross Kerridge admits he was "a bit surprised" the subjects of Tibet, Taiwan and nuclear submarines arose during a meeting with Chinese Consul General Wang Yu, which had been pitched as a 'meet and greet'. The same issues were again raised during a lunch with Hunter union representatives following the meeting. Last Thursday's meeting with the Lord Mayor, chief of staff Gina Hanson and government relations manager Nikki Taylor had been scheduled with the recently appointed Consul General about six weeks ago. No agenda was provided, and no other councillors, nor members of the City of Newcastle's executive leadership team, were present. After exchanging pleasantries and engaging in a general discussion about the city, the delegation proactively raised their country's position on Tibet and Taiwan. "We talked about Tibet and how many Tibetans live in Newcastle. I said, yes, there is a Tibetan community in Newcastle and they don't cause any trouble," Cr Kerridge said. "They talked about their position on Taiwan in much the same way. "I was a bit surprised; they weren't threatening, but they were very clear." The conversation then moved to whether Newcastle was going to be a nuclear submarine base. "I remarked that Newcastle Council's long-standing policy is that we are a non-nuclear city, but that any decision about a submarine base would be a matter for the state and federal governments. He did explain that a submarine base in Newcastle would make China less interested in investing in the area," Cr Kerridge said. Cr Kerridge said that, while he was satisfied with how he handled the conversation, he said he would have sought advice if he had been aware the contentious issues were going to be raised. "If they had said that they wanted to talk about those things, we would have sought advice. By putting it on the agenda, it would have been more than just, 'this is our position', Cr Kerridge said. Cr Kerridge said the meeting highlighted the need for the council to develop an external relations policy. 'As I see it, part of our role is to liaise with groups like this. You should have a standard approach about what you engage in and how you do it." Minutes of the meeting were circulated to councillors and subsequently leaked to the Daily Telegraph. "(Leaking the minutes) doesn't help our relationship with China. It's important that we are polite and respectful to all countries," Cr Kerridge said. The lord mayor's second-in-charge, Liberal deputy lord mayor Callum Pull, said he was left in the dark about the meeting with the Chinese diplomat. Cr Pull said it was "made clear" to the lord mayor that the meeting should be reported to Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong. "Reading the record of this meeting immediately rang alarm bells," he said. "I and other councillors have questioned why we were not informed of, or invited to the meeting, and why the meeting occurred with apparently no agenda, stated intent or clear purpose." The Newcastle Herald understands at least one other councillor was invited to the meeting. Since Cr Kerridge's election, he has held meetings with Kongsberg Defence Australia, the Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, Newcastle Airport, the Port of Newcastle and the Hunter Defence Task Force. Defence has signed an $850 million contract with Kongsberg to establish Australia's first guided weapons production factory at Williamtown. Liberal Senator Maria Kovacic, duty senator for the Hunter, has publicly stated that the meeting should "ring alarm bells at the highest levels of government". Cr Pull said the Opposition's concerns about the matter are "well-founded" as it is unclear whether the lord mayor was exposed to sensitive information concerning national security at prior meetings. "I encourage the Commonwealth to take all necessary steps to assess and respond to any potential national security risks this meeting may have caused," he said. "I am also deeply concerned about what seem to be threats if we support the Tibetan or Taiwanese communities. "As councillors, we should support all communities regardless of their ethnic background." Following the meeting with the Lord Mayor, the Chinese delegation met with Hunter union representatives for lunch at the Dockyard Hotel in Honeysuckle. Hunter Workers secretary Leigh Shears said the lunch followed a dinner he had recently attended at the Chinese embassy with members of the South Coast Labour Council to commemorate the 1938 Dalfram Dispute. "The dinner was the initial contact for us. We saw the delegation's visit to Newcastle as an opportunity to establish a relationship with the Chinese companies that own 21 per cent of our electricity assets, are a major owner of coal assets in our region as well as the port," Hunter Workers Secretary Leigh Shears said. "From our perspective, those were the things we wanted to talk to them about." Mr Shears confirmed the issues of Tibet, Taiwan and nuclear submarines were raised. "They didn't go into detail about their positions or what their concerns were. They said there is a Tibetan community here in Newcastle. Do you know them? "I said I don't know personally and we left it at that. They didn't raise it in a confrontational way and it wasn't awkward." Hunter Workers presented the delegation with a framed print of Newcastle Trades Hall secretary George Bass leaving Newcastle Courthouse with Chinese seafarers during the 1937 Silksworth Dispute at the Port of Newcastle.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
China begins building world's largest dam, fuelling fears in India
Getty Images Chinese authorities have begun constructing what will be the world's largest hydropower dam in Tibetan territory, in a project that has sparked concerns from India and Bangladesh. Chinese Premier Li Qiang presided over a ceremony marking the start of construction on the Yarlung Tsangpo river on Saturday, according to local media. The river flows through the Tibetan plateau. The project has attracted criticism for its potential impact on millions of Indians and Bangladeshis living downriver, as well as the surrounding environment and local Tibetans. Beijing says the scheme, costing an estimated 1.2tn yuan ($167bn; £125bn), will prioritise ecological protection and boost local prosperity. When completed, the project - also known as the Motuo Hydropower Station - will overtake the Three Gorges dam as the world's largest, and could generate three times more energy. Experts and officials have flagged concerns that the new dam would empower China to control or divert the trans-border Yarlung Tsangpo, which flows south into India's Arunachal Pradesh and Assam states as well as Bangladesh, where it feeds into the Siang, Brahmaputra and Jamuna rivers. A 2020 report published by the Lowy Institute, an Australian-based think tank, noted that "control over these rivers [in the Tibetan Plateau] effectively gives China a chokehold on India's economy". In an interview with news agency PTI earlier this month, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu expressed concern that the Siang and Brahmaputra could "dry up considerably" once the dam was completed. He added that the dam was "going to cause an existential threat to our tribes and our livelihoods. It is quite serious because China could even use this as a sort of 'water bomb'". "Suppose the dam is built and they suddenly release water, our entire Siang belt would be destroyed," he said. "In particular, the Adi tribe and similar groups... would see all their property, land, and especially human life, suffer devastating effects." In January a spokesperson for India's ministry of external affairs said they had expressed concerns to China about the impact of mega-dams and had urged Beijing to "ensure the interests of downstream states" were not harmed. They had also emphasised the "need for transparency and consultation with downstream countries". India plans to build a hydropower dam on the Siang river, which would act as a buffer against sudden water releases from China's dam and prevent flooding in their areas. China's foreign ministry has previously responded to India, saying in 2020 that China has a "legitimate right" to dam the river and has considered downstream impacts. Bangladesh also expressed concerns to China about the project, with officials in February sending a letter to Beijing requesting more information on the dam. Getty Images Chinese authorities have long eyed the hydropower potential of the dam's location in the Tibet Autonomous Region. It's in a massive canyon that is said to be the world's deepest and longest on land, along a section where the Yarlung Tsangpo - Tibet's longest river - makes a sharp U-turn around the Namcha Barwa mountain. In the process of making this turn - which has been termed "the Great Bend" - the river drops hundreds of metres in its elevation. Earlier reports indicated that authorities planned to drill multiple 20km-long tunnels through the Namcha Barwa mountain, via which they would divert part of the river. Over the weekend a Xinhua report on Li Qiang's visit said that engineers would conduct "straightening" work and "divert water through tunnels" to build five cascading power stations. Xinhua also reported that the hydropower dam's electricity would be mainly transmitted out of the region to be used elsewhere, while accommodating for Tibet's needs. China has been eyeing the steep valleys and mighty rivers in the rural west - where Tibetan territories are located - to build mega-dams and hydropower stations that can sustain the country's electricity-hungry eastern metropolises. President Xi Jinping has personally pushed for this in a policy called "xidiandongsong", or "sending western electricity eastwards". The Chinese government and state media have presented these dams as a win-win solution that cuts pollution and generates clean energy while uplifting rural Tibetans. But activists say the dams are the latest example of Beijing's exploitation of Tibetans and their land - and past protests have been crushed. Last year, the Chinese government rounded up hundreds of Tibetans who had been protesting against another hydropower dam. It ended in arrests and beatings, with some people seriously injured, the BBC learned through sources and verified footage. There are also environmental concerns over the flooding of Tibetan valleys renowned for their biodiversity, and the possible dangers of building dams in a region rife with earthquake fault lines. CORRECTION 21 July 2025: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the estimated cost of the dam was $1.67bn. A dam ignited rare Tibetan protests. They ended in beatings and arrests, BBC finds Bangladesh China India Tibet
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First Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
How India should approach Dalai Lama's succession issue
India is displaying extraordinary strategic patience with China, the CTA and Tibetan Buddhists have been expecting India to greenlight the succession and reincarnation outlined by the Dalai Lama read more After a weeklong celebration of his 90th birthday, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is in Leh preaching and relaxing. Did India miss an opportunity to test, if not reset, its Tibet policy over the succession of the Dalai Lama? Ahead of Foreign Minister S Jaishankar's first visit to China after the Galwan clashes and pro forma normalisation of bilateral relations, China noted that 'Tibet-related issues, including the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, are a thorn in India-China relations.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Beijing's pincer attacks came in quick barrages from its embassy in Delhi and the Foreign Ministry in Beijing before and after the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday, ignoring Tibet's history, religion, and traditions and letting its invasion and occupation of Tibet in 1950 do the speaking. India's silence is due to China's military and economic power and Delhi's constraint to reset its Tibet policy. This has allowed Beijing to salami slice in East Ladakh, freeze progress on border settlement, and act adversarially during Op Sindoor. The Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration (Government in Exile), Penpa Tsering, had offered ideas on succession last year. On 2 July, in a recorded video statement, His Holiness Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso said that the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the offices of the Dalai Lama, and the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) will search and find his successor, which Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiran Rijiju endorsed: 'No one has the right to interfere or decide who the successor will be; only he or his institution has the authority to make the decision.' China immediately protested Rijiju's statement, warning India against interfering in its internal affairs at the expense of bilateral relations. Delhi did not push the matter further. India's Foreign Ministry said, 'India does not take any position or speak on matters concerning faith and religion but will continue to uphold freedom of religion.' Rijiju also clarified he was echoing feelings of Tibetans, speaking for himself and not the government. It is India's moral and cultural right and responsibility to prevent China from usurping Tibetan Buddhism from its homeland. On 6 July, his birthday, the Dalai Lama said he would reincarnate in a free country and live to be 130 years old, adding his reincarnation could be found in Ladakh, Dharamsala, or Arunachal Pradesh. Prime Minister Modi congratulated the Dalai Lama on his birthday. China protested against PM Modi's greetings, fired volleys at the US for endorsing the Dalai Lama, and issued its own interpretation of succession, asserting China's prerogative to anoint the 15th Dalai Lama. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The problem in reincarnation is the longevity of regency when leadership may be exercised by the Sikyong, CTA, or a Council of Elders. Secondly, long overdue is a reset in India's Tibet and One China policy. India accepted Tibet as part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 2003 for China accepting the international border in Sikkim. Neither the delineation of the LAC nor the Political Framework for a Border Resolution 2005, which skips delineation, has materialised; but instead, China has been salami slicing in East Ladakh. Further, it never implemented autonomy (Dalai Lama's Middle Path) for Tibet but indulged in wholesale Sinicisation of Tibet (69 per cent of people in Tibet are non-Tibetan Buddhists). Delhi has many reasons to reconsider its Tibet policy. It cannot do so on its own and needs a willing strategic partner like the US. The US Tibet Policy Act (2002) was amended in 2020 to the Tibet Policy and Support Act, which is complemented by the Resolve Tibet Act (2024), which has several important issues, including reincarnation and Tibet not being the TAR (Tibet Autonomous Region) created in 1965. The CTA, which shifted from Lhasa to Dharamsala in 1959, will next year be releasing the new map of Tibet highlighting this cartographic fraud. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Next, the boundary issue. While Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Khandu, who attended the Dalai Lama's birthday, has said that his state has a border with Tibet, not China, US Congressional legislation of 2020 has recognised the McMahon Line as the boundary between 'Arunachal Pradesh, which belongs to India, and China,' refuting Beijing's claim on South Tibet. Tsering and his predecessor, Lobsang Sangay, have consistently said Tibet, not China, has a border with India and recalled the name of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, advising India to desist from using TAR. The CTA and Tibetan Buddhists have been expecting India to greenlight the succession and reincarnation outlined by the Dalai Lama. India strategist and China expert Pravin Sawhney has said that the Dalai Lama has raked up sensitive issues for China, which could open a Pandora's box and even lead to war even as Delhi seems unable and unwilling to reset its Tibet policy. Jaishankar had told ANI last year, 'I don't want war with China; it has five times larger economy'. Tibetans outside and inside Tibet are likely to be disappointed by India's silence. Tsering says, 'India is our parent. We're nobody without India.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Calling His Holiness 'honoured guest and spiritual leader' is one thing; backing his succession plan is quite another. Given Tibet's geo-strategic vitality, Beijing squashing its autonomy, and blatantly violating its treaties and agreements with Delhi, India can and should have taken a more nuanced position on the succession issue. For starters, the Dalai Lama can be awarded the Bharat Ratna, which is supported by about 100 sitting MPs, and his birthday can be commemorated during the monsoon session of Parliament. The Tibet issue was raised as a Private Member's Bill earlier by Sujeet Kumar, a member of the Biju Janata Dal, who was requested to withdraw it. The 'thorn' has existed since 1962; still, India has been lured into normalising relations with just 'cosmetic disengagement' not vacation of encroachment by China. Jaishankar said in 2024, '[It is] impossible to normalise ties without the situation at the border being resolved, including demobilisation of troops that amassed there in 2020.' China is unlikely to de-escalate, but we keep talking like it does over the boundary question without settling the issue. India is displaying extraordinary strategic patience with China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The author is former GOC IPKF South Sri Lanka and founder member Defence Planning Staff, now Integrated Defence Staff, Ministry of Defence. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Tibetan festival marking 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama commences in Mysuru
The four Tibetan settlements in Mysuru-Chamarajanagar districts inaugurated a two-day cultural festival in the city on Saturday to mark the 'Year of Compassion', which commemorates the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama. This is in tune with the directive from the Central Tibetan Administration which has declared the period from July 6, 2025 to July 6, 2026, as the 'Year of Compassion', marking the 90th birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama. The event is being held at Kalamandira, and the organisers said that this is meaningful to the Tibetans as the 80th and the 90th birthdays of the Dalai Lama hold great spiritual and cultural significance, and is referred to in Tibetan as 'Gyaton' and 'Ghoton' respectively. The Tibetan settlements organising the event are Lugsung Samdupling and Dekyi Larso in Bylakuppe, Rabgayling in Hunsur, and Dhondenling in Kollegal, all of which are under the Central Tibetan Administration. 'This event reflects the collective effort of the local level administration of the Tibetan community in India to honour the 'Year of Compassion', and to celebrate the life and values of the Dalai Lama,' said the organisers. As part of the programme, there will be inspirational talks and exhibitions on the life and teachings of the Dalai Lama, display of Buddhist art, rituals, and traditional Tibetan cuisines, apart from Tibetan cultural performances, according to the organisers. The programme intends to spread the enduring message of compassion and resilience propounded by the Dalai Lama, they added. The Tibetan monks also expressed their gratitude to the Government of India and the Government of Karnataka, and recalled the contribution of late S. Nijalingappa, the then Chief Minister of what was Mysore State, who offered land for Tibetan rehabilitation in the 1960s.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Minorities enjoying absolute freedom in India due to Hindu majority: Kiren Rijiju
Union minister Kiren Rijiju has said that minorities are enjoying absolute freedom and protection in India because of the Hindu majority, and asserted that the country is safest for minorities. In an interview with PTI Videos, the Minority Affairs Minister said he has not come across a single case where a member of the minority community is willing to migrate out of India because of being deprived of anything in the country. 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Rijiju said such narratives were not helping the country. Asked about his predecessor Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi's statement when he was the minister that India is heaven for minorities, Rijiju said India is a country where "people are law abiding, we are secular, we have a Constitution", and so, whether in majority or minority, everybody is the same. Live Events Whether one belongs to a minority or a majority community, everybody is equal before the law, he asserted. "Now, having said that I can clearly make this statement that whatever the majority community gets, the minority communities also get that but there are certain things which minorities get but the majority community do not get," Rijiju told PTI on Friday at the news agency's headquarters here. "If you see the history in brief, there were some problems in Tibet due to the Chinese occupation and the Tibetans came to India. There were some democratic movements and problems in Myanmar and the democratic activists came to India. There were some problems in Sri Lanka, the Lankan Tamils came to India. There was persecution of minorities in Bangladesh, they all came to India. From Pakistan, Afghanistan (many came to India)," the senior BJP leader said. "Ultimately, they all desire to take shelter in India because they have the confidence in the Constitution of India and the people of India. That is why they come here," he said. He said barring isolated incidents and the riots when the Congress was in power, generally, "minorities are safest in India". Despite that, for the last 11 years, there has been a constant campaign that the minorities are not safe in India, Rijiju said and wondered how that is helping India. What is India as a country gaining from this, he asked. "I belong to a minority community. I must openly make this admission that the majority Hindus which are around 78 to 79 per cent as per the old old census. If you see the new census later on when it comes out, this percentage may be reduced but I don't know right now. But because of the Hindu majority, all the minorities are enjoying the absolute freedom and protection in this country," Rijiju said. "Imagine if I was in Pakistan. Imagine if we were made part of Bangladesh during the partition. We would have been refugees today. Today, every tribal community, every minority community is safe and secure in his or her own homeland because the majority Hindu community is secular by character and tolerant by nature," the minister asserted. That is why India is a preferred place for every minority community, he said and added that this must be appreciated. "If you don't appreciate the reality, then you are doing the greatest disservice to the country," he said. On whether the Muslims also feel as safe in India, Rijiju said, "I saw some of the Hindus are saying that they feel threatened by some Muslim majority pockets within the country. Maybe there are some individual incidents, maybe some Hindus are saying that there is a Muslim majority (in the area) so we feel threatened. But I feel that nobody should feel threatened and if anybody is threatening the other community then the state government must take action." He asserted that everybody is equal and everybody is safe in India. Anybody who is saying that they are unsafe in India are doing the greatest disservice to India as a nation, the minister said. He pointed out that under the ministry of minority affairs, all the schemes of the government of India are applicable in every part of the country for everyone. "The ministry of minority affairs implements policies and skills only for minority communities. The minority communities are not deprived of any possibility of getting the benefits from anywhere. It's the same for everyone," he said. The minority affairs ministry provides enough support system as gap funding to all the six notified minority communities in India, he said. Earlier this month, Rijiju was involved in a war of words with AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, who had slammed the BJP leader over his statement that India is the only country where the minorities get more benefits and protection than the majority community. The Hyderabad MP, in a post on X, had said, "You are a Minister of the Indian Republic, not a monarch. @KirenRijiju You hold a constitutional post, not a throne. Minority rights are fundamental rights, not charity." "India's minorities are not even second-class citizens anymore. We are hostages," Owaisi had alleged. Replying to the AIMIM president, Rijiju in a post on X had said, "Ok... How come Minorities from our neighbouring countries prefer to come to India & our Minorities don't migrate? Prime Minister @narendramodi ji's welfare schemes are for all. The schemes of the Ministry of Minority Affairs provide additional benefits to the Minorities." Hitting back, Owaisi had said, "If we don't migrate it means we are happy. Actually, we are not in the habit of fleeing: we did not run away from the British, we did not run away during partition, and we did not run away because of Jammu, Nellie, Gujarat, Moradabad, Delhi etc massacres. Our history is proof that we neither collaborate with our oppressors nor do we hide from them." "We know how to fight for our democratic rights and we will inshallah. Stop comparing our great nation with failed states like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal & Sri Lanka. Jai Hind, Jai Samvidhan! Thank you for your attention in this matter!" Owaisi had said. Rijiju had earlier also said at an event that there is no country in the world that gives as much facilities to minorities as India does and asserted that all citizens are treated equally here.
