OPINION

Tenzin Dorjee* argues that Tibet matters not just to the Tibetan people for the preservation of their national identity and for upholding the integrity of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but also because it occupies a globally critical position as the ‘Roof of the World,’ ‘the Water Tower of Asia,’ and the ‘Third Pole,’ besides being the inheritors of the complete teachings of the Buddha, all of which China has set out to destroy.

Tibet is the “Roof of the World,” “the Water Tower of Asia,” and the “Third Pole.” Despite these facts, Tibet does not garner the same attention and concerns as Ukraine and the Middle East Crisis in today’s news. Understandably, the Ukraine and the Middle East Crisis are houses on fire, and Tibet is apparently not. However, while the world is duly concerned about and attending to the houses on fire, Red China tries to erase even the name ‘Tibet’. It now calls Tibet by its Chinese name ‘Xizang,’ with Tibet as such being no more. China forcibly expects the world to accept the Sinicized name for Tibet – ‘Xizang.’

Nevertheless, the fact remains that Tibet matters geopolitically and Tibet belongs to Tibetans, not Chinese. Arguably, Tibet matters from a social-ecological perspective. This article reflects on why Tibet matters, albeit the world may become apathetic and complacent.

Tibet is the “Third Pole” with the world’s largest ice reserves besides the Arctic Circle and Antarctica; Tibet’s ice caps are melting faster than elsewhere. If global warming is of concern for survival reasons, Tibet certainly matters more than that reflected by our current state of thinking. Red China has systematically and forcibly uprooted Tibetan nomads from their pasturelands and mined Tibet’s minerals, including gold, uranium, copper, and other metals. These and innumerable other projects that solely benefits China – ‘the Great Motherland’ – have ravaged the ecology of Tibet. The victims are not only Tibet, Tibetans and Tibetan animals and birds, but also the world at large. Satellite images show the Tibetan mountains, including Mt. Kailash – my birthplace – holy to the Bon, Tibetan Buddhism, and Hindu faiths, are bare and unsightly as global temperatures keep swelling. Tibet is the Roof of the World; if the roof caves in, the world, too, will cave in. Saving Tibet is saving the world.

Air and water are essential for the survival and thriving of the human civilization. Tibet is the “Water Tower of Asia” – lifeline for almost 2 billion people living in the downstream countries, including China, India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Water, not oil, is the most basic necessity of life. The major rivers of Asia, including the Indus, Brahmaputra, Sutlej, Mekong, and Yangtse, originate in Tibet. China has built mega dams to harness Tibet’s waters and in times of war, it can cut off the water lifeline for India and other downstream countries. A prominent geostrategist, Brahma Chellaney, argues that water wars are waged among riparian neighbours in many parts of the world in his book Water, Peace, and War: Confronting the Global Water Crisis (2013) and China controls the major water sources of Asia in Tibet.

Recently, China donated 1,500 tonnes of Tibet’s Glacier Water to the Maldives while the downstream countries face draught issues. China is known for toxic loan diplomacy, pressuring loan-recipient countries to support its global expansion policies to unseat the U.S. global leadership. Now, China has started water-gifting diplomacy with Maldives which is expected to accept Chinese name “Xizang” instead of the established English name Tibet. Global warming and water crisis are likely to trigger the next geopolitical war in Asia. Our world cannot afford a Third or another global war, especially between the two giants in Asia – India and Red China. Tibet matters in saving Asia and the world at large.

Also, as long as faith and human rights matter, Tibet matters. Human rights are universal rights enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. These rights include the freedom of faith or religious belief, freedom of speech, and freedom to speak one’s mother tongue. China has enslaved the Tibetans, as is evident in the latest report of the Freedom of House (2024). The House rated Tibet -2/40 on political rights and 2/60 on civil rights, yielding an overall score of 0/100. Tibet is China’s North Korea regarding human rights and freedom.

According to Tibetan sociologist Dr. Gyal Lo, who has testified at various hearings, China has forcibly removed over 1 million Tibetan children from their homes and segregated them into Colonial Boarding Schools, where they have restricted the teaching of Tibetan language and forced the Chinese language on them instead. The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in Washington, D.C., awarded a 2024 Medal to the Tibet Action Institute’s Lhadon Tethong and Dr. Gyal Lo for documenting China’s assimilation policies and ruthless colonial boarding school system in Tibet. This is only a recent manifestation of China’s systematic plan and action to erase Tibetan linguistic and cultural identity. NED also honoured Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the political leader of Tibetans, with a 2024 medal for his service to sustaining and promoting Tibetan democracy in exile. The European Parliament has called on China to address this issue but dismissed its call. China feels the importance of being assertive and listens to no one but themselves.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and the State Department of the United States annually rated China as a Country of Particular Concern for systematically, continuously, and egregiously violating its citizens’ freedom of religion and belief. China has persecuted Christians, Uyghurs, Buddhists, Falun Gong, and other Sinicized religions to serve the Communist Ideology and Power Control.

In Tibet, according to a new report, China has mandated the Buddhist Association of China (BAC) to implement President Xi’s thoughts and strategies to Sinify or Sinicize Tibetan Buddhism. The Chinese leadership believes that Sinicizing Tibetan Buddhism will erase the Tibetan identity that is rooted in Buddhism. As a significant part of it, they formulated laws and policies to control the unique Tibetan reincarnation system. China has installed Gyaltsan Norbu as the 11th Panchen Lama, completely disappearing the real Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, recognized by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, for over thirty years. They feel so assured of their control of Panchen Lama’s reincarnation that they intend to do the same with the next reincarnation of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. But their plan will be a fiasco as His Holiness the Dalai Lama lives in India, and he will reincarnate in a free country if the Tibet-China conflict persists.

The United States has passed and implemented several laws, such as the Tibet Policy and Support Act and the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, to counteract China’s plans and actions. A high-level U.S. Congressional delegation, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, led by the US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, has met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, presented a copy of the recently passed Promoting Resolution to Tibet-China Dispute bill to him. It also met with the Tibetan Political Leader Sikyong Penpa Tsering and the Tibetan Parliament Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and members in Dharamsala, India, the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration. Along with everyone else, I urge President Biden to sign the bill as soon as possible and implement it earnestly. Notably, this would-be law requires the United States to counteract China’s misinformation about the historically independent status of Tibet and to reject any installation by China of the next Dalai Lama, as Tibetans have the sole right to decide on their reincarnation system.

Last but not the least, Tibet matters because Tibetan Buddhism matters globally and locally. Tibet had remained isolated for centuries and preserved the Nalanda Tradition of Buddhism intact in the Tibetan language. It is now being restricted and sought to be erased in Tibet by Red China. India is the Guru and the Tibet is Chela or Disciple. Tibetan Buddhism traces its origin and lineage to the ancient Nalanda Monastic University in India. Undisputedly, the largest and complete collection of Buddhism now exists in the Tibetan language (which is invented, based on the Devanagari script of India): It includes 108 volumes of Sutras (Words of Buddha), over 200 volumes of Shastras (Indian Commentaries), and thousands of other volumes authored by Tibetan masters over the centuries. Guru-Chela relationship is the most sacred and ultimate relationship of all and India has graciously hosted Tibetan refugees for decades.

China aggressively claims Arunachal Pradesh as South Tibet and has named various locations with Sinicized Tibetan names. In a tit-for-tat response, India is going to decide to rename many places in Tibet proper. I urge India that now is the time to firmly and actively support resolving the Sino-Tibetan issues via peaceful negotiation (Ahimsa) between His Holiness the Dalai Lama or Tibetan political leadership and China. The United States will firmly stand with India on such actions.

Tibetans have re-established in exile in India many of their monastic universities, such as Sera, Drepung, Gaden, and Tashi Lhunpo, where monks systematically pursue Buddhism in the Nalanda Tradition, leading to the Geshe Lharampa Degree (Ph.D. equivalent) after twenty-five years of study and debate. The native Bon religion and the four major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism thrive in diaspora in India with their respective monasteries and study centres. Tibetan Buddhism and culture pervade the Himalayan regions of Ladakh, Spiti, and Kinnaur, Mongolia, and it has now spread to different parts of the world. Sinicizing Tibetan Buddhism will not work in the long run as Tibetan Buddhism has already spread far and wide and is not confined to the China-controlled Tibet.

Tibet matters globally and locally so long as the above reasons matter. Saving Tibet is saving Asia and the world at large.

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* Tenzin Dorjee is an Associate Professor at California State University, Fullerton. He is a former chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. This is his personal view.