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Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s surprise trip to Tibet last week, spanning nearly 2,000 miles, was framed as a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region. Yet beneath the official fanfare lay Beijing’s true agenda: sending a warning to Tibetans as the Communist Party prepares to tighten its grip on the plateau, especially over the question of the Dalai Lama’s succession.
Xi, speaking in Lhasa, emphasized that his top priority is to ensure “political stability, social stability, national unity and religious harmony.” He further instructed cadres to follow the “systematic promotion of the sinicization of religion” and “rule of law” in handling religious affairs. In plain terms, Xi’s government seeks to remake Tibet as more culturally and politically Chinese, with direct control over its religious leadership.
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