Beijing Softens Stance on Tibet

China Offers to Meet with Dalai Lama Aide

The Dalai Lama may be "a wolf in monk's robes," but Beijing has announced it is prepared to meet with his envoy in what appears to be a softening in its posture toward Tibet. But is the new offer just an attempt by China to limit the damage to its image?

Ready when you are.

China's government has offered to meet with the top envoy of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, following calls from the international community for dialogue.

"In view of the requests repeatedly made by the Dalai side for resuming talks, the relevant department of the central government will have contact and consultation with Dalai's private representative in the coming days," the official Xinhua News Agency said Friday, quoting an unidentified official. No details were given regarding when or where the talks would take place.

However the unnamed official emphasized that China's policy on Tibet had not changed, according to Xinhua. "It is hoped that through contact and consultation, the Dalai side will take credible moves to stop activities aimed at splitting China, stop plotting and inciting violence and stop disrupting and sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games so as to create conditions for talks," the official was quoted as saying.

The Dalai Lama's spokesman, Tenzin Taklha, immediately welcomed the move, which he described as "a step in the right direction." Taklha told the news agency AFP that "only face-to-face meetings can lead to a resolution of the Tibetan issue."

Earlier, Taklha had told Reuters that the Dalai Lama had not yet been contacted by the Chinese government regarding a possible meeting: "We have no information whatsoever about China wanting to meet representatives of his holiness. ... There has been no communication."

The German government, which had been informed of the decision by China in advance, welcomed the announcement. "We very much hope that this step can contribute toward a solution to the conflict," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Jäger. He said Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had, in three recent telephone calls with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi, "very strongly urged that a dialogue take place."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the offer was a "major step" and provided grounds for "real hope." And after meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said: "The Chinese have said they are ready to talk about everything except sovereignty for Tibet." Barroso is part of a European Commission delegation visiting Beijing this week for high-level talks.

The move is the first sign of a willingness to compromise on the part of Beijing regarding the issue of Tibet. It comes after pressure from the international community on China to engage in dialogue with the Dalai Lama following bloody protests in Tibet and neighboring regions in March. China has officially stated the number of dead in the unrest as 22, but Tibet's government in exile says that at least 140 people died.

Beijing has accused the Dalai Lama of being responsible for the violence in Tibet and vilified him as a separatist who wants to break up China. Zhang Qingli, the hardline leader of the Communist Party in Tibet, recently branded the spiritual leader "a wolf in monk's robes" and "a devil with a human face." But the Dalai Lama has repeatedly said that he does not want independence for Tibet, only greater autonomy.

There have been several meetings between representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government in the past. Six rounds of talks have taken place since 2002, with the last round in June 2007. But little tangible progress came out of the meetings.

Many observers feel that China used the talks simply to give the impression of being willing to engage in dialogue, in order to pacify critics and buy time. Observers are also skeptical about how serious the new offer is. They point out that the Xinhua news agency spoke only of "contact and consultations," rather than talks or negotiations, and suggest the offer is just another attempt to limit the damage to China's reputation on the international stage.

China's policy on Tibet is one of several issues that are threatening to overshadow this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. China had hoped the Games would be a PR triumph, but the event has proved to be a focus for anti-China protests -- with the Olympic torch relay being targeted by protesters in Paris and other Western cities. In response, activists in China have organized boycotts of French goods.

dgs/ap/reuters/afp