Worlds in Collision~Tibetans and the Chinese

Farmers in Tibet find themselves subjugated by the Chinese people who have inhabited and who have sought to maintain control over the Tibetan's ancestral lands. The farmer's Buddhist temple, peasants point out, is blackened by the smoke of a big Chinese factory not far into the distance. Many locals agree that Tibetans are given the hard-labor, low-paying jobs while the Chinese are offered more sophisticated, higher-paying positions, even if they are no more qualified than Tibet civilians. Those people of Eastern China are known as the Han Chinese and they have begun to infiltrate the infrastructure, occupying the world of Tibet through prejudice and repression. China has not granted this many times violent segregation as official ethnic discrimination, but it still occurs, nonetheless.

While the media continues to maintain a heavy bias against Tibetans, Beijing further seeks to undermine Tibetan sovereignty with a project known as the Tibetan Autonomous Region, which has encouraged the settlement of the Han Chinese in the area and is intended to weaken the influence of Tibetan Buddhism. Ultimately, this Tibetan crises may become an issue revolving around religious independence, and thus political and social independence from China. At least among Tibetan peasants, the return of the Dalai Lama, who represents the rebellious and independent character of Tibet, means a voice given back to the people of Tibet.

In condescension and hostility, the Han Chinese believe that the Tibetans are being ungrateful and they adopt an almost victimized and meek attitude, sounding perplexed as to why the Tibetans should protest and riot when China has invested billions of dollars in the region. Whatever the debate is surrounding the common notion that TIbet is part of China, the reality is that the Chinese have the control and Tibet seems to continuously be fighting a lost cause.

While this may be entirely cliche, it is beginning to become apparent that the riots and the violence are not solving anything as war usually does not solve the world's problems. All the political bickering and civil war will not find resolve and certainly will not lead to an independent Tibet if this crises proceeds on its current path to nowhere. This is a case where I believe international intervention is needed because it does not look as if either the Chinese or the Tibetans will reach a resolution or compromise on such a divisive and contentious issue. International pressures (I, by no means, advocate the boycott of the summer olympics) and incentives (a little bargaining) may help weaken Chinese influence in Tibet and force these two regions to work out appropriate diplomacy measures. However, I am not one to think this will be such an easy effort, seeing as how invested China is in Tibet and how resilient China may be against outside efforts to end the crises, especially since the 2008 Olympics draw near and China wants to preserve some sort of clean, optimistic image. Then there is also that little task of convincing governments worldwide to confront the Chinese government of not only ending its bitter conflict with Tibet, but of also using its influence over Sudan to help end the Darfur crises.

More than anything, I am disappointed and frustrated over the lack of awareness and the distortions in truth among the Chinese people, although the international community is starting to pick up on it. No one is willing to listen to the other side and all that is left for these people to hold onto are their presumptions rooted in bias and their pride steeped in insecurity and intolerance.