Authenticating Tibet: answers to China's 100 Questions

pt. 1. Historical facts 1. Some Tibetans in self-exile have repeatedly claimed that Tibet and China are two different countries. What does history have to say? The Tibetan Empire / Helga Uebach The Yuan dynasty / Elliot Sperling 2. Some Tibetans have argued that the Yuan emperor, Kublai Khan, and Pagba, a leading Tibetan lama of the Sagya sect, only established the religious relationship of "the benefactor and the lama" ; Political subordination was not involved. Is this right? / Elliot Sperling 3. How did the Yuan dynasty exercise its sovereignty over Tibet? / Elliot Sperling 4. It has been argued that the Mongolians incorporated Tibet into China by conquest in a manner not too dissimilar to Britain's occupation of India and Burma. What do you think of the claim that just as India cannot now regard Burma as part of its territory, so China cannot claim sovereignty over Tibet? / Elliot Sperling 5. Did the Ming and Qing dynasties continued to exercise sovereignty over Tibet established by the Yuan dynasty? The Ming dynasty / Elliot Sperling The Qing dynasty / Anne Chayet 6. Can you outline the origins of the Dalai Lama and the Bainqen Erdini? Did the establishment of these positions have anything to do with the Chinese central government? / Anne Chayet 7. Are there any historical documents which provide evidence that Tibet is part of China? / Anne Chayet 8. Why was the issue of "Tibetan independence" raised early in this century? / Tsering Shakya, Anne-Marie Blondeau 9. It has been claimed that China only has suzerainty over Tibet. Is this right? / Tsering Shakya 10. How did Britain and the United States interfere with China's domestic affairs with regard to Tibet in the past? / Tsering Shakya, Anne-Marie Blondeau 11. What are the views of foreign countries on the "independence of Tibet"? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 12. An American newspaper said that Tibet did not become part of China until 1950, and only in the late 1970s did the Carter administration officially recognize China's sovereignty over Tibet. Does this accord with history? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 13. Under what circumstances did the PLA decide to march into Tibet? / Samten Karmay 14. What was the content of the Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet signed between China's central government and the local government of Tibet? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 15. What was the Dalai Lama's attitude towards this agreement? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 16. Since peaceful liberation, what policies has the Chinese government pursued in Tibet? / Elliot Sperling 17. What caused the 1959 rebellion in Tibet? / Jampa Panglung 18. How did the Chinese government deal with those who participated in the March 1959 rebellion? / Elliot Sperling

pt. 2. Human rights 19. What were the conditions regarding human rights in Tibet before democratic reform? / Robert Barnett 20. What rights do the Tibetan people enjoy? / Robert Barnett 21. Some people have said that Tibet has several hundred prisons holding many thousands of political prisoners. Others have claimed that Tibet has 73 prisons with 80,000 prisoners. What are the facts? / Robert Barnett 22. Some foreign newspapers have claimed that the Chinese killed more than 1 million Tibetans. Is this true? / Robert Barnett 23. In 1987, two men were executed in Tibet. Were they political prisoners? / Robert Barnett 24. What is the true story of Geshi Luosang Wangzhu, a so-called ideological criminal the U.S. Congress has asked to be released? / Robert Barnett 25. It has been claimed that the Chinese have tried prisoners in Tibet at mass rallies, after which they were immediately killed. Is it true? / Robert Barnett 26. Some people have accused China of carrying out "racial segregation" and "racial discrimination" in Tibet. What is the reality? / Robert Barnett 27. Some people have said that Tibetans cannot act freely in Tibet, and that Tibetan cadres and children aged under 18 cannot travel abroad. Is this true? / Robert Barnett 28. The Dalai Lama and others say that Tibetan children have been deprived of the right to education and that Tibet has become an area of illiteracy. Is this true? / Robert Barnett 29. It is reported that there are serious problems of unemployment and child labor among Tibetans. Is that true? / Robert Barnett 30. People at the side of the Dalai Lama also said that the hospitals in Tibet only serve the Han people. Is that true? / Robert Barnett 31. How long is the average life span of Tibetans living in Tibet? How is it compared with what it was before the peaceful liberation of Tibet? / Robert Barnett 32. Some people have claimed that China practiced forced sterilization and the killing of infants in Tibet. Is this true? / Robert Barnett

pt. 3. Policies towards the Dalai Lama 33. What policy has the central government adopted toward the Dalai Lama? / Per Kvaerne 34. If the Dalai Lama returns, can he settle in Tibet? / Per Kvaerne 35. What is the attitude of the Chinese government toward the Dalai Lama's visit to other countries? / Per Kvaerne 36. What is the basic divergence of views between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government and people? / Per Kvaerne 37. What is the Chinese government's attitude towards the "five-point proposal" put forward by the Dalai Lama in the United States during September 1987? / Per Kvaerne 38. How does the Chinese government view the Dalai Lama's "new proposal" on Tibet he put forward in Strasbourg, France, in June 1988? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 39. How does the Chinese government value the idea of a "greater Tibetan autonomous region" suggested by some people around the Dalai Lama? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 40. Why doesn't China agree to apply the "one country, two systems" concept to Tibet? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 41. Will the Chinese government permit the Tibetans who fled abroad with the Dalai Lama and have acquired foreign citizenships to return? If so, what formalities should they go through before their homecoming visit? / Katia Buffetrille 42. The relations does the self-exiled Dalai Lama maintain with the Bainqen Lama? / Anne-Marie Blondeau

pt. 4. Population 43. Has there been a decrease in the number of Tibetans since the peaceful liberation of Tibet in 1951? / Andrew M. Fischer 44. Dalai and his followers claim that 7.5 million Han have been emigrated to Tibet, and that Tibetans have become a minority nationality in the region. Is that true? / Andrew M. Fischer 45. What is the Tibetan population? How is it distributed? / Andrew M. Fischer 46. How many minority nationalities are there in China? / Andrew M. Fischer 47. How many minority ethnic groups are there in Tibet? / Andrew M. Fischer

pt. 5. Religious belief 48. What policies has the Chinese government adopted toward religious belief in Tibet? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 49. Some people claim that the Chinese Communist Party has eliminated religion in Tibet. is this true? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 50. Did the Chinese government appropriate money for renovating monasteries in Tibet in order to attract more foreign tourists? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 51. Are Tibetans free to take part in religious activities? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 52. How are Tibet's monasteries administered? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 53. Are there any professional schools for training religious workers in Tibet? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 54. Please give a brief account of the lamasery life. Do lamas suffer many privations? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 55. Which monasteries are famous in Tibet? And what is the situation they are in now? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 56. When did Tibetan Buddhism come into being? How many sects does it have? / Anne-Marie Blondeau 57. It has been reported that China will set up a "Tibetan Buddhism Guidance Committee." What will be its tasks? / Anne-Marie Blondeau

pt. 6. Right to autonomy 58. What policies has the Chinese government adopted in regard to minority nationalities? / Thierry Dodin 59. When was the Tibet Autonomous Region founded? How many autonomous regions are there in China? / Thierry Dodin 60. As one of the autonomous regions, what rights does Tibet have? / Thierry Dodin 61. How many decrees on self-government have been formulated by the Tibet Autonomous Region? / Thierry Dodin 62. What is the proportion of Tibetans to Han in the Tibet Autonomous Region's civil service? / Thierry Dodin 63. Who were the heads of all previous governments of the Tibet Autonomous Region? Were they all Tibetans? / Thierry Dodin 64. Who have served as the standing committee chairmen of the Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress? What nationality were they? / Thierry Dodin 65. How many counties and cities does the Tibet Autonomous Region have under its jurisdiction? What are the nationalities of the county magistrates and mayors? / Thierry Dodin 66. Are there any other Tibet autonomous areas in China apart from the Tibet Autonomous Region? / Thierry Dodin 67. Why are none of the first secretaries of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Tibetans? / Thierry Dodin

pt. 7. Culture and education 68. What is the policy adopted by China regarding traditional Tibetan culture? / Amy Heller, Anne-Marie Blondeau 69. Some foreign newspapers have claimed that China has paid no attention to Tibet's history and culture. What are the facts? / Amy Heller 70. What is the Chinese government's attitude towards traditional Tibetan literature and art? / Amy Heller, Anne-Marie Blondeau 71. What work has been done to protect cultural relics and historical sites in Tibet? / Amy Heller 72. What is the situation of Tibetan studies in China? / Amy Heller, Anne-Marie Blondeau 73. What does the China Tibetan Studies Center do? Who runs it? / Amy Heller 74. It is said that traditional Tibetan medical science is very special. What has China done to develop it? / Fernand Meyer 75. How about the use of Tibetan language? / Amy Heller, Anne-Marie Blondeau

pt. 8. Economic development Historical comparisons / Andrew M. Fischer The legacy of state intervention in the Tibetan areas over the past fifty years / Andrew M. Fischer 77. What policies and assistance has the central government provided in regard to economic development in Tibet? 76. What is the status of economic development in Tibet? Constraints and favorable conditions for development / Andrew M. Fischer 78. What advantages does Tibet have for its economic development? 83. What are the main problems Tibet faces in developing its economy? Foreign investment and trade / Andrew M. Fischer 79. Are there any Sino-foreign joint ventures or solely foreign-funded projects in Tibet? 80. How does Tibet attempt to cooperate with foreign factories? 81. How do foreign people invest in Tibet? 82. How about Tibet's tourist resources? How do foreign people travel in Tibet? / Katia Buffetrille 84. It is reported that China has deployed nuclear weapons and dumped nuclear waste in Tibet, damaging the environment there. Is that true? / Thierry Dodin

pt. 9. Livelihood of the people 85. How are the living conditions in Tibet today compared with the past? / Katia Buffetrille 86. Why are the living standards of Tibetans lower than [those of] the Han people in other places? / Andrew M. Fischer 87. Do the Tibetan and Han people enjoy equal payment for same work? / Katia Buffetrille 88. What customs and habits are there in Tibet? / Katia Buffetrille, Janet Gyatso 89. What festivals are there in Tibet? / Katia Buffetrille, Janet Gyatso

pt. 10. About the riots in Lhasa

90. Some people have said that the demonstrations which occurred in Lhasa in 1987 and 1988, despite being peaceful, were forcibly suppressed. Is this true? / Robert Barnett

91. What caused the riots, and did it have anything to do with the Dalai clique? / Robert Barnett

92. Some people have said that in putting down the riots in Lhasa, the police arrested and beat people indiscriminately, killing quite a few. What is the truth? / Robert Barnett

93. Of all those arrested in the riots, how many have been set free and how many are still in prison? How well are they treated in prison? What will happen to them? How many rioters, if any, were executed? / Robert Barnett

94. Were any foreign tourists or reporters at the scene of the riots? If there were, were they detained, warned, or deported? / Robert Barnett

95. How do religious leaders and the residents of Lhasa view these riots since September 1987? / Robert Barnett

96. Why were foreigners not allowed to travel nor foreign reporters permitted to cover news in Tibet during riots? / Robert Barnett

97. After the riots in Lhasa, were any leaders of the Tibet Autonomous Region dismissed or promoted? Are more soldiers or policemen to be sent to Tibet? / Robert Barnett

98. What countermeasures have the Tibetan authorities taken since the riots? Are the masses allowed to hold parades and demonstrations? / Robert Barnett

99. What is the situation in Tibet now? / Robert Barnett

100. Some foreign newspapers said recently that the Tibet authorities have dispatched people to temples and monasteries to throw out those lamas and nuns who participated in the riots. Is this true? / Robert Barnett

A comparative chronology of Tibet and China

Glossary.