Tony Abbott should meet with the Dalai Lama while he is here

June 10, 2015;

Sydney Morning Herald, 10 June 2015

The Dalai Lama in Katoomba on Thursday. Photo: Kate Geraghty

I am a Tibetan who has recently found a home in Australia. I was also once a political prisoner in one of China’s many jails in Tibet. As a Tibetan, I am overjoyed that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is visiting this beautiful country again. As an Australian, I hope that he will receive the welcome from our political leaders that he deserves. The visit presents an opportunity for them to show their mettle. They can choose to welcome one of the world’s great spiritual leaders and advocates for peace, or to do the bidding of an authoritarian regime which rejects democracy and human rights.

It should be an easy choice but recently Australia’s political leaders have apparently found the opposite. Julia Gillard declined to meet him, as did Kevin Rudd when he was prime minister. And the reason, of course is China.

Tibet needs far more robust and vocal support than a photo opportunity with a global celebrity. But if the leaders of the free world are unwilling to do even that, China knows that the simple aspiration for freedom that the Tibetan people have held for decades is just another commodity for trade in the diplomatic currency market.

China objects in the most robust terms to any meeting with the Dalai Lama. Why? Because as the man who led the Tibetan people when China invaded Tibet in 1950, who was our leader in exile for more than 50 years and who is the world’s most famous Tibetan, he represents the difficult truth that China wants Tibet but Tibet doesn’t want China. So, China cries in outrage that he is a “splittist” and to meet with him is “interfering in China’s internal affairs”. In fact, neither of these positions is true. The Dalai Lama is, of course, not a citizen of China – he is a stateless refugee residing in Dharamsala, India (where I lived too before Australia welcomed me) and he renounced any role in the exile government of Tibet years ago. His position on Tibet today is in fact to advocate a “middle way approach” which actually envisages Tibet remaining a part of the Chinese state. He has been a consistent advocate of talks with the government of China and, above all, the peaceful resolution of the issue of Tibet to the satisfaction of both parties.

Tsering Dorje was born in Tibet and was imprisoned there.

The Dalai Lama is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the leader of Tibetan Buddhism – which has millions of adherents globally – and one of the most deeply respected public figures in the world. As such, national leaders have for decades recognised that meeting him befits their status, responsibilities and aspirations. US President Barack Obama – less frightened of China than most – very recently described him as “a good friend” who “inspires us to speak up for the freedom and dignity of all human beings”. Shouldn’t such a person be welcomed by every political leader?

Sadly, China’s objections and accompanying threats have deterred many of them from continuing the tradition of meeting him – not just here but in South Africa, Norway, even, reportedly, the Vatican – the list goes on. In fact, research has shown that while Beijing may threaten “dire consequences”, they rarely arise. China needs trade too: while Britain was supposedly being punished after Prime Minister David Cameron met the Dalai Lama in 2012, trade with China actually increased. What shunning His Holiness does, however, is demonstrate that legitimate and democratic governments are willing to allow China – an authoritarian and anti-democratic state – the right to interfere in their affairs. It also sends a message to China that instead of engaging in dialogue to promote the peaceful resolution of the ongoing crisis in Tibet, they can continue with the repression and assimilation that have caused Tibetans such deep distress and provoked unceasing resistance and protest for many decades.

China’s threats are not an expression of righteous anger, they are a negotiating tactic, designed to see just how compliant foreign governments will be. Beijing knows that meeting the Dalai Lama does not equal support for Tibetan independence or even Tibetan resistance, and nor is it any threat to China’s rule. Tibet needs far more robust and vocal support than a photo opportunity with a global celebrity. But if the leaders of the free world are unwilling to do even that, China knows that the simple aspiration for freedom that the Tibetan people have held for decades is just another commodity for trade in the diplomatic currency market.

It is not too late for Tony Abbott to extend an invitation to meet the Dalai Lama. To do so would be a demonstration of his commitment to peace and dialogue and I know would be deeply appreciated by Tibetans inside Tibet as a recognition of the legitimacy of their grievances and their desire for the freedoms enjoyed by Australians. An invitation would also affirm respect for the path of non-violence my people have chosen under the influence of the Dalai Lama and show that democracy and respect for human rights in Australia have more influence over its leaders than the blatant and illegitimate attempts by the government of China to bully them into silence.

As a Tibetan, I am proud to recognise the leadership of the Dalai Lama. I hope the Prime Minister will make me proud too.

Tsering Dorje was born in Tibet and was imprisoned there. After escaping to India, he worked as a researcher on human rights in Tibet.