Commentaries & Opinion Pieces

On February 21, the Dalai Lama visited United States President Barack Obama in the White House over the objections of the Chinese government. Beijing labels the exiled spiritual leader a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” who seeks to use violence to free Tibet from Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama, who fled …

  By Thubten Samphel January 30, 2014 On 28 January, 25 years ago, the 10th Panchen Lama of Tibet died at the age of 51. Popular Tibetan opinion commonly refers to the 14th Dalai Lama and the 10th Panchen Lama as the “sun and moon” of the Tibetan Buddhist firmament. …

  By Thubten Samphel The Asia Times Online December 16, 2013 China’s anti-splitism bureaucracy is up in arms. This time the Chinese Communist Party bureaucracy’s fight against separatists is turning against scholars within party think tanks who dare to suggest accommodation and reconciliation with the Dalai Lama is needed for …

  By Abanti Bhattacharya Asia Times Online December 4, 2013 The source of the problem in India-China relations is not Tibet. The problem is rooted essentially in how China perceives Tibet. China’s flawed perception on Tibet both colors and distorts its relationship with India. For India, the intractable border dispute …

  OMER AZIZ The Globe and Mail (Canada) Thursday, Nov. 28, 2013 For the past two years, the Asia-Pacific region has been central to both the Obama administration and the Harper government’s Asia strategies. The multiplicity of states, increasing economic potential, and a general shift of power eastward have made …

  By THE EDITORIAL BOARD The New YOrk Times November 29, 2013 On Nov. 11, Tsering Gyal, a 20-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk, set himself on fire in China’s Qinghai Province. Mr. Gyal’s death brings the number of Tibetans who have self-immolated since 2009 to 123. Letters some have left and …