By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA, 10 Nov: Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) President (Sikyong) Penpa Tsering arrived in Washington, D.C., today, following his participation in the sixth annual summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) in The Hague, the Netherlands, where his engagements with European parliamentarians drew objections from the Chinese Embassy.
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By Khedroob Thondup
Names matter. They shape how people see a place, its history, and its identity. That is why the Chinese government’s increasing insistence on calling Tibet “Xizang” is not simply a linguistic preference. It is part of a broader political effort to redefine Tibet in ways that align with the Chinese state’s narrative.
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By Khedroob Thondup
History often remembers great powers, but it is frequently smaller nations that first raise their voices when principle is at stake. In the case of Tibet, one of the earliest and most persistent international advocates was not a superpower but Ireland, led by its remarkable Minister for External Affairs, Frank Aiken.
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By Khedroob Thondup
By any reasonable religious, moral, or democratic standard, the Chinese government has no legitimate right to select the next Dalai Lama.
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By Khedroob Thondup
For decades, Tibet’s advocates have pursued a seemingly moderate goal: genuine autonomy within China rather than outright independence. The argument appears reasonable. If Beijing insists that Tibet is part of China, then surely it could permit Tibetans meaningful control over their culture, religion, language, education, and local governance.
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By Khedroob Thondup
The question of who will recognise—and therefore legitimise—the next Dalai Lama is no longer a distant theological matter. It is a geopolitical fault line. Beijing has already announced its intention to appoint its own Dalai Lama, a move designed to consolidate control over Tibetan Buddhism and extend ideological authority far beyond Tibet. The Tibetan people, meanwhile, maintain that only the Ganden Phodrang, the historic office of the Dalai Lama, holds the legitimate authority to oversee the succession.
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By Khedroob Thondup
For years, the debate over China policy in Washington has been framed as a test of toughness. The real question, however, is not who can sound tougher in a campaign speech but who can build a sustainable strategy that advances American economic, technological, and security interests over the long term.
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By Khedroob Thondup
The Chinese Communist Party’s 20th Central Committee convened its closely guarded Fifth Plenum in Beijing from October 26 to October 29, 2026, at a moment when China was facing slowing economic momentum, persistent financial strains, and mounting geopolitical pressure. Yet the leadership’s chosen theme was not economic stimulus, technological innovation, or foreign policy. Instead, the meeting centred on a familiar priority under Xi Jinping: strengthening Party discipline, deepening self-governance, and reinforcing political loyalty. According to official accounts, the plenum focused on a draft decision concerning “strengthening full and rigorous Party self-governance with perseverance,” with Xi presenting both a Politburo work report and the key policy document under review.
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By Khedroob Thondup
The relationship between Tibetans and Taiwanese has never happened by accident. It has grown through shared values, spiritual kinship, and a mutual understanding of what it means to live in the shadow of a powerful neighbour. Yet no institution has nurtured this delicate, meaningful relationship more than the Office of Tibet.
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By Khedroob Thondup
The unsettled India–China border is not a problem waiting for a clever diplomatic solution. It is a structural friction point, engineered and sustained by Beijing’s long‑term strategy of salami slicing — the incremental nibbling away of territory, facts on the ground, and political narratives. As long as this strategy remains central to China’s rise, the border will not stabilise. It will simmer, flare, and recede in cycles, but never resolve.
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