Let No One Think That US Government Will Support Tibetan Cause – OpEd

By

When China brutally attacked Tibet, drove out the protesting Tibetans and forcefully occupied the country a few decades back, many Tibetans expected that USA would intervene and liberate Tibet sooner or later. The Tibetans had such expectations, since USA has been claiming that it stands for freedom and liberty and would support the cause of democracy.

However, even the optimists developed doubts about the commitment of USA towards the cause of Tibet’s independence when the former US President Obama received the Dalai Lama through the back door in White House, as he was anxious not to antagonize China and chose to ignore China’s misdeeds in Tibet.

When Trump won the election and became the President of USA, hopes were rekindled amongst the Tibetans that Trump administration would take tough stand against China on number of issues , since one of the major political rhetorics of Trump during his election campaign centred around strong observations against China for it’s various acts of omission and commission. As a matter of fact, immediately after assuming office , he spoke to the Taiwanese President over telephone, which act was thought by many persons as a signal to China as to how Trump would deal with it.

All such expectations have vanished after the recent visit of Trump to China.

Many observers around the world have been of the view that the claims of US government about fighting for the cause of liberty and freedom was not genuine and priority of US in shaping relation with all countries only relates to trade and business interests. The statue of liberty in NewYork seems to be only a one more statue in USA and it appears that it has no significance for the US government.

Earlier, when Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife visited USA, President Trump never raised any issue about human rights violation in China and it’s unjustified claim on Tibetan territory.

The recent visit of President Trump to China makes it amply clear that USA looks at China only as a trade and business partner and US has absolutely no concern about China’s forced occupation of Tibet suppressing the freedom for Tibetans.

During the visit , the focus of the discussions was only on trade and business interests. Commercial deals of over 253 billion USD was signed between USA and China. It is reported that amongst Trump’s family members, his daughter and son in law have strong business ties with China.

In such scenario, can Tibetans expect that US government would be concerned about Tibetan cause?

Tibetans need to work out some strategies and action plans to keep the torch of their freedom struggle alive.

China’s continued occupation of Tibet and the silence of the world community about China’s aggression in Tibet have boosted the confidence of China that it can take the world reaction for granted for all it’s steps of economic and political aggression anywhere.

There is considerable apprehension in countries in south east Asia and far east about China’s territorial ambitions and it’s aggressive game plans. Japan, Vietnam, Philippines are amongst the countries which are viewing China’s various claims on their territory with apprehension and they are realizing that they would be paying too big a price if they would allow China to have it’s way.

These countries are sure to understand the plight that Tibet had to undergo in the hands of China. Tibetans should take some steps to spread awareness about their plight in these countries and seek the support of the governments. This could be a starting point for the next stage of struggle for the Tibetan freedom.

N. S. Venkataraman

N. S. Venkataraman is a trustee with the "Nandini Voice for the Deprived," a not-for-profit organization that aims to highlight the problems of downtrodden and deprived people and support their cause. To promote probity and ethical values in private and public life and to deliberate on socio-economic issues in a dispassionate and objective manner.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *