HONG KONG — The latest round of talks between representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government predictably failed to make progress, and now hundreds of Tibetans are gathering in Dharamsala, India for a weeklong crisis meeting to discuss the way forward.
Since the two sides had a totally different understanding of the nature of the talks, it was not surprising that they could not reach an agreement.
The Dalai Lama's representatives wanted to discuss the situation in Tibet — where there were riots in March — and genuine autonomy for the region. However, the Chinese government insists there is no Tibet problem and says it represents the interests of all ethnic minorities, including Tibetans: The Tibetan government-in-exile is only "a product created by a small group of separatists who launched an armed rebellion in 1959."