Is the Tibetan spiritual leader trying to play safe and not displease China by remaining unbiased to get the best results out of the talks with the Chinese President for his fellow TibetansIJ
While the Doklam stand-off is still going on for over 70 days, the Dalai lama has finally spoken up on the border tension. Giving a statement at a public event on August 10, he said the Doklam tension is not “very serious”, and “India and China have to live side by side”. The wordings of this statement are very neutral, but the nuances attached to this statement explain the symbolic importance of the Dalai lama’s impression on China-India dispute. What, however, makes the Dalai lama’s statement significant is the timing of it. Even though the Dalai lama waited for a while to comment on the issue, his breaking the silence on the face-off explains that neither he wants to interfere nor wants to have a say on the issue.
Reemphasising the Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai rhetoric, the Dalai lama appealed that India and China must diffuse the border tension and must learn to co-exist peacefully. He urged that both nations must desist from using harsh words towards each other and believe in “peace and compassion” which should be the overarching theme of the current century. Using the context, the Dalai lama showered India with praise, as he always does, for ensuring freedom and safety to the large number of Tibetan refugees residing in India post the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950. What is, however, important to note is that he did not express the same high opinion about China. Praising India could already be seen as a statement against China though. But a clear statement on the Doklam border tension was what India would have preferred. Praising India has always been a classical style of the Dalai lama to gain public attention, but this praise should not have come at the cost of urgency when India needed a favourable statement from the Dalai lama on the Doklam tension.
Contradictorily, the Tibetan Government in Exile (TGIE) earlier this month came out with a public statement criticising the Chinese action as a “symbol of its expansionist policy” and a reflection of its nationalistic design obvious at the South China Sea, East China Sea and incursions at the McMohan line. lobsang Sangay, the Prime Minister of the TGIE, was candid in his support towards India and viewed that what is happening in Doklam replicates the past of Tibet in 1959.
In comparison to Sangay’s statement, the one by the Dalai lama is certainly questionable. Why is the Dalai lama not explicit in overtly supporting India as was expectedIJ Both the Dalai lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile (TGIE), who are generally very critical of the oppressive development policies and atrocities by the Chinese in Tibet, chose to keep mum for so long after the Doklam conflict took place. As one of the most beloved and celebrated personalities in the world calling himself the “son of India” could have disapproved of China’s expansionist policies while it threatens war against India. A country providing the spiritual leader with so much of love and respect expected him to act on its national interests. Moreover, the roughly 1,00,000 Tibetans living in India, who have been protesting against the repressive Chinese regime since 1950, did not stage a single protest in support of India.
Contradictory to his above statement on Doklam, the Dalai lama earlier in ladakh this July asked the Tibetans in Exile to speak up for the rights and freedom of the Tibetans in Tibet. He criticised China’s hard policies and poor treatment of the Tibetans in Tibet and hoped China to bring some changes into its regime through his optimistic approach.
Can we see a change in the Dalai lama’s outlook towards ChinaIJ The Dalai lama, differing from the Indian expectations, recently in his statements praised Xi Jinping for his efforts to eradicate corruption and ensure better freedom to the Tibetans. He also advised the Indian Government to provide more facilities to Chinese students to study in India and arrange for pilgrimage of Chinese Buddhist monks to develop better understanding with the people. This was one of his efforts to bring the neighbours closer and diffuse the tensions. Through his statement, the Dalai lama also has hinted at a possibility of talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and him after the Communist Party Congress later this year. All of these lead to greater presumption.
lately, the Chinese media reacted to the impartial statement by the Dalai lama as tilted towards India and accused India of resorting to the Tibet card. It reiterated the complete pull-back of the Indian troops and warned her not to take China’s utmost goodwill as being limitless. the People’s liberation Army (PlA), according to China, is very much capable of routing out the Indian troops but is not taking any action to maintain peace and regional stability. Earlier on July 27, 2017, through Ajit Doval’s meeting with the Chinese President at the BRICS Summit of National Security Advisers, the situation did see a slight improvement. Yet one can observe Xi not backing off but flexing his muscles further before the October Congress which might give him political mileage against his opponents.
Though the Dalai lama’s preaching of democracy, freedom and harmony is very much visible in his statement described above, is his approach significant in diffusing the tensions between India and ChinaIJ likewise, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s statement in Parliament reiterated India’s stance on resolving the tension through bilateral dialogue, patience and Bhasha Saiyam. She said the Indian Army is fully prepared with completely adapted troops and an enhanced border management position to prevent any misfortune with the PlA. Completely prepared for a long haul, each side currently maintains roughly 300-350 troops at the border area with makeshift defence and logistical supply lines ready for a face-off. Indian Army formations currently include 17 military camps in Gangtok, 20 in Binnaguri and 27 in the Kalimpong region with 10,000 soldiers each. India also maintains 2,500 soldiers from the 164 Brigades in the Zuluk and Nathang Valley in Sikkim additional to the 6,000 soldiers already deployed to the Eastern and North-Eastern parts of the State. Also, an additional 33 corps with bulk of troops are in process of being deployed to the Sino-India border in the Sikkim area.
At the closing of the 8th week of the Doklam skirmish, India stands at a very confusing and troublesome state risking its relations with not just China but Bhutan also. In this context, is the Dalai lama trying to play safe and not displease China by remaining unbiased to get the best results out of the talks for his fellow TibetansIJ Not to forget that the Tibet factor and the Dalai lama have time and again been the matter of contention between India and China since the Dalai lama fled to India. China’s displeasure on India providing political refuge to the spiritual leader who it refers to as a “splittist” has evoked from time to time, especially with his recent visit to the disputed Arunachal Pradesh earlier in April. It would be beneficial for India especially during such a critical phase to have support of figures extremely important and influential like the Dalai lama who impacts a large amount of people not just in India but in the world also. Though India remains fully prepared for any forms of aggression on borders, it certainly expects an overt support from the Tibetans in exile and the Dalai lama, living at the compassion of India.
(The writer is associated with East Asia Centre at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), New Delhi)