Tibetan voices calling for Tibet’s independence will be “muted,” says Victor Gao, vice president of the Center for China and Globalization and former translator to Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping. He reiterates Beijing’s long-standing stance to silence dissent and critics of CCP policies inside Tibet and those in exile. Often seen as one of China’s fiercest defenders on the global stage, Gao has built a reputation for shutting down any challenge to China’s sovereignty claims over Tibet. His blunt remarks on a podcast, ‘Unapologetic,’ of news outlet Middle East Eye are consistent with his shocking comments made during an August 2024 episode of Al Jazeera’s Head to Head, when Sonam Frasi, the then UK Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, asked him, “What is China afraid of?” He replied crassly at the time, “I assure you, during your lifetime and mine, Tibet will always be part of China. If you want to go back to Tibet, accept that Tibet is part of China.” Reporter - Tenzin Nyidon Editing - Tsering Dhundup