TIBET AND MANCHU An Assessment of Tibet-Manchu Relations in Five Phases of Historical Development DIIR PUBLICATIONS Published by: The Department of Information and International Relations, (DIIR) Central Tibetan Administration Gangchen Kyishong Dharamsala - 176 215 H. P., INDIA Email:
[email protected] Website: www.tibet.net/ ww.tibet.com First Edition, 2001 Second Edition, December 2008 2000 Copies © DIIR ISBN 81-86627-87-1 Printed at: Narthang Press,Gangchen Kyishong, Dharamsala-176215(H.P) PREFACE His Holiness the Dalai Lama has proposed a Middle Way formula for resolving the problem of Tibet in such a way that it promotes lasting peace and harmony between Tibet and China. This approach envisages negotiations between China and Tibetans, leading to a solution under which the whole of Tibet known as Cholkha-sum (U-Tsang, Kham and Amdo) becomes a self-governing political entity in association with the People’s Republic of China. It provides for the Chinese government to continue to be responsible for Tibet’s defence and foreign affairs. Thus, the Middle Way approach offers a mutually-beneficial solution: it seeks to ensure full exercise of internal self-determination by the Tibetan people without affecting the territorial integrity of the People’s Republic of China. However, China has consistently cold-shouldered this approach and has insisted on distorting the history of Tibet-China relations to claim that Tibet has been part of China since the Yuan dynasty. It is, therefore, important to understand the true history of Tibet- China relations. To facilitate this, the Department of Information and International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, in 1995, published the history of Tibet’s relationship with the Mongols.