Kashag dissolves Task Force on Sino-Tibetan Dialogue, sets up strategic planning committee

DHARAMSALA, 17 Aug: The Central Tibetan Administration’s Task Force on Sino-Tibetan negotiation has been dissolved by the Kashag led by Sikyong Penpa Tsering.

The Kashag has dissolved the Task Force on Sino-Tibetan negotiation with immediate effect and instead set up a strategic planning committee to replace it, read a circular issued by the Kashag dated 13 Aug that was made public on Monday.

The circular has declared making the changes a necessity since most of the members of the Task Force are based abroad and that all the members be it those based in Dharamsala or abroad committed to their private or public offices and responsibilities.

So far, 32 Task Force meetings were held since the first one in 1999. Presided over by then Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, the last Task Force meeting was held in Dec 2019.

The Task Force on Sino-Tibetan negotiation was constituted in 1999 to help recommend policy matters and strategies to find a peaceful and mutually acceptable negotiated resolution to the issue of Tibet.

Nine rounds of talks were held between the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and representatives of China’s United Front Work Department since 2002.

During the course of nine rounds of Sino-Tibetan talks, the Tibetan side had presented to the Chinese leadership a Memorandum and Note seeking genuine autonomy for Tibet as enshrined in the Chinese constitution and Law on Regional National Autonomy.

The ninth and the last round of talks was held in 2010 and in 2012, the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama resigned from their positions citing the overall deteriorating situation inside Tibet and “lack of willingness and sincerity” from the Chinese side.

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