The meeting between US President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama two weeks ago should inspire European leaders not to shun the Tibetan leader, argues Vincent Metten, EU policy director for the International Campaign for Tibet.
The following contribution was sent to EURACTIV by Vincent Metten, ICT’s EU Policy Director.
Two weeks ago, undeterred by strong protests from Beijing, President Obama met exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama at the White House. The warm and constructive meeting between the two Nobel Peace Prize Laureates should inspire European leaders to end their equivocation and develop a unified response that supports and does not shun the Tibetan leader.
By meeting the Dalai Lama, the US president demonstrated not only that the US is willing to withstand Chinese pressure but that it recognises the Dalai Lama’s key role in Tibet’s future. The strong statement issued by the White House in support of the Dalai Lama’s peaceful endeavours to resolve the situation in Tibet through dialogue also showed that the US administration views this as compatible with continued engagement with China.
The EU now needs, for its own sake and credibility, to act with resolve – despite Beijing’s increasingly assertive attempts to create divisions among member states on the Dalai Lama. The Lisbon Treaty demands a consolidated foreign policy, and the EU’s traditions require it to defend human rights. On both counts, Tibet is a touchstone.
Over the past two years, Beijing has stepped up pressure on European member states and civil society to block meetings between heads of government, ministers and members of the [European] Parliament and the Dalai Lama, and some European leaders have succumbed to the pressure.
This is a misguided response: it undermines European values of dialogue and conciliation, and ultimately weakens EU leverage rather than contributing to the development of a strong EU-China relationship that encourages China to become a better global citizen.
During their meeting in Washington, President Obama briefed the Dalai Lama about his discussions with China’s Party chief and President Hu Jintao at the US-China summit last November, and that Dalai Lama spoke about the ninth round of dialogue between his representatives and Chinese officials on January 30 and 31.
In contrast to Beijing’s aggressive position on the Tibet issue internationally, the Dalai Lama is seeking genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people under the sovereignty of the PRC. This is an expression of his ‘Middle Way’ approach, which means the pursuit of a mutually acceptable and beneficial solution achieved through negotiations, in the spirit of reconciliation and compromise.
A meeting between new EU High Representative for Foreign Relations Baroness Ashton and the Dalai Lama would send a strong signal of transatlantic solidarity and support for the Tibetan leader’s attempts to build a constructive dialogue with Beijing. It would also be in keeping with the Lisbon Treaty blueprint for consolidating EU influence and developing coherent strategies among member states. Baroness Ashton should talk about Tibet at her first official visit to China, and she should then meet the Dalai Lama.
Another important policy move the EU could take is to step up funding for development projects on the ground in Tibet. The centrally-planned economic development model that Beijing pursues in Tibet, based on resource exploitation and infrastructure construction, is failing most Tibetans. Meaningful EU support on the ground could contribute to a re-orientation of economic strategy towards local integration, helping to reverse the trend of marginalisation and creating space for the Tibetan identity to survive.
China’s policies are deepening tensions in Tibet. The Chinese government has imposed a severe crackdown following a series of peaceful protests that swept across Tibet, beginning in March 2008. There is an urgent need for an end to repression, and the involvement of the Dalai Lama, recognised by the world as the legitimate representative of the Tibetan people, in talks on Tibet’s future.
To equivocate on Tibet as a result of Chinese interference would be a strategic mis-step in EU-China relations. The EU should intensify its support for a resolution and assist both sides, after more than 50 years, to remove obstacles and move forward.
As a global player, China needs to understand, as the EU does, that there are global values beyond assertions of sovereignty.
(Source: Euractiv)