When Xi Jinping took power as China\u2019s top leader a decade ago, observers, including Tibetans, hoped his father\u2019s sympathetic attitude and family ties to Tibet and the Dalai Lama would lead him to ramp down China\u2019s brutal occupation of Tibet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, to date the opposite has happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a new report, the International Campaign for Tibet shows the impact Xi\u2019s 10 years have had on Tibet, revealing how the Chinese president has securitized the Tibetan Plateau and tried to \u201cSinify\u201d the Tibetan people – meaning turn them into Chinese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTen years later, and contrary to certain expectations, Xi Jinping has worked to implement two primary goals: securitize Tibet and Sinify the Tibetan people in the Chinese nation-state as part of his long-term assimilationist drive. Overall, Xi has shown himself to be among the most ruthless of Chinese leaders, as he has gone on to consolidate his power to the extent of virtually making himself the leader for life,\u201d<\/em> says the report, released today, 8 August 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With no end in sight to Xi\u2019s reign, the situation in Tibet might only get worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, ICT says that Xi can still change the future of Tibet – and China – for the better, and other countries can pressure him to peacefully resolve the Tibet-China conflict during the Dalai Lama\u2019s lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xi is projected as someone who adheres to the Chinese tradition of filial piety and sees his father, Xi Zhongxun, as an inspiration. Xi senior was known to be among those advocating for a softer approach on Tibet, so Xi Jinping could and should uphold his father\u2019s legacy on Tibet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xi became the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s general secretary in November 2012 and China\u2019s president in March 2013.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Tibet, the results of his reign speak for themselves:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xi\u2019s rule in Tibet has signaled a change in ideology for the CCP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While earlier Communist leaders were also brutal to Tibetans, China had an official policy of ethnic autonomy that gave some freedom to Tibetans and other non-Chinese groups to retain their unique cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But when Xi took over, he embraced a new hardline approach of ending ethnic autonomy and forcing so-called \u201cminority\u201d groups to assimilate into a unified Chinese nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under this approach, China is now trying to \u201cSinify\u201d Tibetans, meaning remake them as Chinese citizens who speak Mandarin, have \u201cChinese consciousness\u201d and follow the CCP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result, Xi\u2019s China has cracked down severely on Tibetans\u2019 religion, language and loyalty to the Dalai Lama. His administration formally launched an online database of CCP-approved Tibetan Buddhist reincarnations, officially designated as \u201cauthentic Living Buddhas\u201d of Tibetan Buddhism, in January 2016. The database was a clear effort by the CCP to assert control over the Dalai Lama\u2019s reincarnation and undermine the authority of legitimate Tibetan religious leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the destruction of Tibetans\u2019 way of life is only increasing, ICT\u2019s report finds hope in Xi\u2019s past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xi is the son of Xi Zhongxun, one of the CCP\u2019s leaders when China invaded and began occupying Tibet in the 1950s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The elder Xi was seen as a reformer who recognized China\u2019s mistakes in Tibet. He developed a personal relationship with the Dalai Lama and argued for moderate policies toward the Tibetan people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Filial piety is important in Chinese culture, and Xi Jinping is said to hold his late father in high regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xi\u2019s mother Qi Xin is also believed to be Buddhist, and his wife Peng Liyuan reportedly has a Tibetan Buddhist master.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ICT\u2019s report says Xi has the chance to uphold his family\u2019s legacy by working to bring a peaceful end to the conflict between Tibet and China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The report also calls on outside governments to pressure Xi and the Chinese government to engage the Dalai Lama\u2019s envoys in direct, substantive dialogue without preconditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Specifically, the EU and its Member States should task their Delegation and Embassies in Beijing to expand their outreach to Tibetan communities and strengthen monitoring of the situation in Tibet, including by maintaining a specific action officer on Tibet in the embassies and requesting visits to Tibetan areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a new report, the International Campaign for Tibet shows the impact Xi\u2019s 10 years have had on Tibet, revealing how the Chinese president has securitized the Tibetan Plateau and tried to \u201cSinify\u201d the Tibetan people – meaning turn them into Chinese.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12939,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categorie":[691],"news_tag":[704],"class_list":["post-12938","nieuws","type-nieuws","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categorie-news","news_tag-chinese-policy-and-leadershiprepression"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n10 years of Xi<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Different from previous leaders<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Family connection to Tibet<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Recommendations<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Download the report \u201cGeneration Change: 10 Years of Xi Jinping\u2019s Sinification and Securitization of Tibetans.\u201d<\/a><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"