Tibet - Page 5

A Tibetan man set himself on fire in the Chinese province of Sichuan to protest Beijing’s continued rule his homeland, it was reported Monday.

The Chinese government’s campaign to “Sinicize” organized religion – in other words, make religion completely subordinate to the Communist Party – grew more aggressive this year and featured the destruction of Bibles, crosses, and entire churches. Religious freedom activists call it the worst crackdown on Christianity since religious freedom was nominally granted by the 1982 Chinese constitution.

School children in the traditionally Buddhist Chinese region of Tibet are prohibited from practising religious activities during the summer holidays, Chinese state media reported on Monday. 

The future of the Dalai Lama, who has received shelter in India since Beijing launched a crackdown on Tibetans nearly 60 years ago, reportedly surfaced as the predominant subject of discussion between China and India at a recent summit as both sides try to mend their tumultuous relationship, according to a report in Indian media this week.

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Not content with squeezing an apology from Mercedes-Benz for the crime quoting the Dalai Lama on Instagram, China excoriated the automaker in an editorial at the Communist Party’s People’s Daily on Wednesday, comparing the Dalai Lama citation to quoting Hitler in an automobile ad.

Marriott International was one of several companies caught up in China’s crackdown on foreign corporations that allegedly insult its territorial integrity by treating controversial or semi-autonomous regions like Tibet, Hong Kong, Macao, and especially Taiwan as separate “countries” on their websites. Days after the story broke, Marriott is still offering fulsome apologies and implementing a draconian “eight-point rectification plan” to get right with Beijing.

The chief of staff for India’s army appeared to downplay the presence of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the disputed Doklam region that lies near the border shared by the two rival nations.

The Marriott International hotel chain and Australia’s Qantas Airwaves have changed their website under pressure from the Chinese government to remove references to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet, and Macau as separate “countries,” rather than regions of China.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry blasted India over the Doklam border dispute on Thursday, accusing the Indian government duplicity and “slapping its own face” by planning to build a road in contested territory – much as China has already done.

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China’s state-run media is accusing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi of stoking “intense nationalism” in the country and taking advantage of anti-Chinese sentiment to amass power in columns published this week. The articles follow a month-long dispute along the mutual border near Bhutan exacerbated by China’s recent haul of major military hardware towards India.

The Canadian government is reeling from a foiled attempt at a boycott of Israeli wines. While they might have failed this time around, those behind this bizarre action are likely to be back.

Even as China and India square off over unrest on their borders, the United States Navy held its largest joint maritime exercise with India and Japan in three decades, teaming the USS Nimitz battle group with India’s only aircraft carrier and Japan’s most powerful warships.

A delegation of American lawmakers flew to India to meet with the Dalai Lama on Tuesday in a bid to draw attention to the plight of Tibet. The move is likely to annoy China and possibly frustrate President Trump’s effort to develop warmer relations with Beijing.

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The Chinese government has announced a new policy initiative to impose Mandarin on all regions of China, including many where the majority of the population have their own mother tongues. The edict also claimed the government would take measures to protect languages in danger of extinction.

Chinese President Xi Jinping violated his nation’s long-standing policy of respecting the sovereignty of other nations and opposing “separatism” in a speech to the Arab League calling for a Palestinian state, with its capital in east Jerusalem.

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A report in Bloomberg cites a Japanese intelligence agency report suggesting that China is working to embolden separatist groups in Okinawa, just as China has increased its public demands for the world to disregard Taiwan’s sovereignty and observe Beijing’s “One China” policy.

Local Chinese governments on the border with Mongolia have imposed new fees on companies exporting minerals from Mongolia into China, a move that closely follows Mongolia’s warm welcome of Dalai Lama.

President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to take a courtesy call from Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen last week has alarmed many in American mainstream media, who argue that acknowledging Tsai as a fellow head of state unnecessarily strains relations with communist China.

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Chinese communist officials have admitted that diminishing the influence of the Dalai Lama, the highest authority in Buddhism, is their “highest priority” for governing Tibet, as Chinese state media attempts to elevate the profile of a rival, state-approved Buddhism authority.

China is taking steps to at least partially demolish Larung Gar, described as “the biggest Tibetan Buddhist institute in the world” by the BBC.

President Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, much to China’s disappointment.

China is continuing its push to promote further communist government meddling in Buddhism. An article in the state-run Global Times cites an “expert” warning that the religion’s living Buddhas could become “weapons of mass destruction” if not properly controlled by Beijing.

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The Chinese government has branded the Dalai Lama a “violent extremist” and Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) “sympathizer” after the Buddhist leader made remarks urging “dialogue” with the jihadist terror group.

The Dalai Lama, who has been exiled from his own country of Tibet for over half a century, offered some thoughts on the Syrian refugee crisis during the dedication of his Center for Compassion at Oxford, as related by the UK Telegraph.

Chinese authorities confiscated the ashes of a Tibetan monk who died in a Chinese prison, sparking outrage from pro-Tibet groups and the Tibetan government-in-exile. Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was an influential Buddhist monk dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan culture and society. He died in a Chinese prison earlier this month at the age of 65.

Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, 65, a Tibetan monk and prominent political prisoner, died in Chinese captivity on Sunday. In 2002, he was arrested and imprisoned on a bombing charge his supporters claim was wrongful. The United States, European Union, and international human rights organizations all pushed for his release.

The Tibetan mastiff, a large dog breed once so prized among China’s elite that each sold for between $130,000 and $250,000, have become so unpopular that slaughterhouses will pay $5 for them.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that Tibetan nun Yeshi Khando is presumed dead after setting herself on fire to protest Chinese rule, demanding freedom for Tibet and the return of the exiled Dalai Lama. Her death could not be confirmed by international media or Tibetan advocacy groups because her body was so quickly removed from the scene by police.