Why Beijing Needs Tibet's Help.(Point of View)(Viewpoint essay)

Recent events in Tibet have underscored the fact that more than a Half Century of Chinese occupation--and forcible attempts to change Tibetans into Han Chinese--aren't working and never will. Resistance to Beijing's imperialism hasn't come just from the "Dalai Lama clique," as Chinese officials put it, but from all 6 million Tibetans.

Thus Beijing's problems won't simply go away when the 14th Dalai Lama dies; he's now 72 and very durable. But that's a good thing, for China's leaders are going to need his help to peacefully resolve the crisis. The Dalai Lama remains committed to nonviolence and a solution that would benefit both sides. And he's the only person capable of persuading his people to accept such a deal.

It's not difficult to imagine what an eventual agreement between China and Tibet would look like. Tibetans want the reunification of their territory and people, only a third of whom actually live in China's Tibet Autonomous Region (the rest live in historically Tibetan areas of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan or in exile). They also want real political autonomy, respect for their culture, economic development that better protects Tibet's fragile environment and the freedom to openly practice Buddhism.

The Chinese for their part want international respect, recognition of the legitimacy of their claim to Tibet and access to the vast resources of the Tibetan plateau. They also need better environmental policies and a source of spiritual inspiration for their people--both of which Tibetans could help them achieve.

Granting the first item on Tibet's wish list--territorial reunification--would be easy: it could be accomplished by an edict from the Politburo and a stroke of the president's pen. Granting political autonomy wouldn't be much harder, and would allow China to stop wasting money on the colonization of the Tibetan plateau--where, due to the altitude, Han can't live comfortably anyway.

As for improving Tibet's environment, this could be accomplished by removing the large colonies of Han Chinese Beijing has established throughout the province, along with the huge military infrastructure currently holding down the Tibetan population. The Tibetans could then work to preserve their local flora and fauna by returning to their time-tested social and agricultural practices, which succeeded for millennia in keeping their country green.

Ensuring Tibetans get the respect they deserve might be more difficult, since China's government has, in recent years, turned from communism to nationalism as a mass ideology. But allowing ordinary Chinese greater access to honest information about Tibet would help.