by Victoria Rosenthal
The hostility between Tibet and
China from 1945-2012 is mainly a result of the oppressive Chinese government’s rejection
of Tibet’s sovereignty, they’re communist views opposing religion, and they’re
demand for the natural resources found in Tibet. This constant feud has lasted
for so many years because the Chinese government views Tibet as a vital
territory of their country. Although Tibet had ruled in autonomy for centuries after
the Manchu dynasty usurped control of the Great Khanate from the Qing dynasty in
1912 and a number of countries, including the United States, view it as an
independent nation, the Chinese refuses to abdicate its control over Tibet
because this region continued to be recognized as a territory of China.
According to Nina Rastogi, in the mid-1940s, “both Sun
Yat-sen's Nationalists and their rivals, Mao Zedong's Communists,
believed that Tibet remained fundamentally a part of China and felt a strong
nationalistic drive to return the country to its Qing-era borders.”
When Mao Zedong and
the Chinese Communist Party took control of China in 1945, he imposed his
communist views upon the nation and all of the territories considered to be
under Chinese rule, including Tibet. Due to their strong view of religion as a
threat to the government, the Chinese government has limited the practice of
Buddhism within Tibet. In order to prevent the Tibetans from practicing their
religion, the government razed almost all of the Buddhist monasteries,
nunneries, and monuments within Tibet. As a result, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
was forced to flee Tibet to protect himself from the Chinese authorities, many
monks have committed suicide in honor of their religion, and many protests and
revolts have broken out, such as the recent protest of monks in 2008.
Also, the Chinese
government will not allow Tibet to be an independent country because they are
interested in their natural resources of water and minerals. These resources
are exploited in order to sustain China’s massive population and growing
economy. China’s shortage of water caused by the increasingly large population
and overuse of the land has caused China to turn to Tibet’s water resources to
sustain the nation. “Each
year China uses 40 billion cubic meters of water —five to seven times the
amount used in Southern California— more than its resources can sustain
(Jeffrey Hays).”Also, the natural minerals taken from Tibet are used to enhance
China’s growing economy. “China is on its way to becoming self-sufficient and
ultimately one of the world's major exporters of commodities, as vast new mineral
deposits are discovered (David Eimer).”
Eimer, David. "China and Britain Ready to Exploit
China's Natural Resources." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group,
27 July 2008. Web. 5 May 2012. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/2793852/China-and-Britain-ready-to-exploit-Tibets-natural-resources.html#disqus_thread>.
Rastogi, Nina. "Plus, When Are Monks Allowed to Get
Violent?" Slate Magazine. The Slate Group, 28 Mar. 2008. Web. 05
May 2012.
<http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2008/03/why_does_china_care_about_tibet.html>.
Hays, Jeffrey. "Facts and Details." WATER
SHORTAGES IN CHINA. Apr. 2008. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://factsanddetails.com/china.php?itemid=390>.
Victoria, I agree that the Chinese wish to exploit Tibet’s natural resources and view the Dalai Lama as a threat. However, you treat these as reasons for Tibet’s oppression when in reality they are not at the root of the conflict. The conflict between Tibet and China is a result of China’s refusal to abdicate complete control of Tibet. China believes that Tibet declined in the 9th Century after the Mongols entered Asia, despite having recognized Tibet as a nation in the 7th Century. (Stokes). However, even these claims are merely China’s means of justification. China’s true desire for Tibet stems from Chinese fear of imperial powers. After a century of exploitation, China is scarred and fearful of foreign invasion. Controlling Tibet would give China a buffer zone between China and British India, Britain being one of the nations that exploited China. (Stokes). In addition, if Tibet became independent, it would present China as a weak nation in the eyes of the nations of the world, and could fuel and justify the exploitation or conquering of China by other nations.
ReplyDeleteVictoria, I agree with you about certain parts of your argument, and I like how you incorporated many aspects of the problem into your case. I have to admit that I believe that the issue is more of an economic and a geographic one more than anything else. Though Tibet has ruled itself in the past in autonomy, the Chinese have chosen to take control over to Tibet to strip the nation of its most valuable resources: water and minerals. As I stated in my own argument, China has been creating networks of water projects throughout the nation and its territories to cut off vital water supplies that will help China sustain its massive population (Water Security). Economically, China is carving Tibet up for its resources. The Tibetan Plateau has been dammed and controlled by China for its own uses, specifically leaving out the Tibetan people who also need the water. Tibet is also going to be affected due to global warming patterns, which can possibly affect the water supply and later on affect Tibet’s economy. Who knows what China will do at that point? Your argument is good, you just need to focus on economics a little bit more.
ReplyDelete- Jake
Victoria, I agree with the some of the aspects of your argument, and I think you proved your point very well. However, I feel like some of the parts of your case lacked detail, such as the failure to include detail in how communist China took over and how they enforced some of their strict policies. Also, I believe you failed to mention many important social issues that causes tension between China and Tibet. One of the main social issues that is a huge overlooked detail in your case is the constant uprisings in Tibet, especially the most recent one in 2008. As I stated in my own post, Tibet's uprisings caused a bit of global awareness, which caused China to illustrate a harmonious image to cover up the evils they are doing in Tibet. Overall, your argument was solid, but you need to focus on how much details you put in certain events.
ReplyDelete-Cristian
Based on all of your comments, I can now continue to believe that there are a variety of factors contributing to the oppression experienced in Tibet. All of the arguments you’ve made are solid points to contribute to my argument. Although I know that China is exploiting Tibet for its natural resources, now I recognize its devastating effect on the economy and the people of Tibet themselves. The Chinese government may need natural resources, such as water, to sustain their nation, but it is wrong for it to place Tibet’s economy in danger, especially since Tibetans rely on water to sustain their own agricultural economy. Another factor that I have further insight on is the political factor of the argument. China does not recognize Tibet as an independent nation not only due to China’s nationalistic desires to maintain the country’s Qing-era borders, but also due to its insecure need to maintain their global reputation as a strong country. Also, the social factor is more important than I made it seem within my post. Now that the violence toward the Tibetans to quell religious protests has become known around the world, the Chinese government created a false image of harmony between the Tibetans and the Chinese. This issue and the exile of the Fourteenth Dalia Lama have intensified the tension between Tibet and China and have increased the number of protests within this country. All of these factors have made harmony and peace very unlikely for Tibet. If they cannot be solved, Tibet will continue to be oppressed by China for many years to come.
ReplyDelete-Victoria
Based on all of your comments, I can now continue to believe that there are a variety of factors contributing to the oppression experienced in Tibet. All of the arguments you’ve made are solid points to contribute to my argument. Although I know that China is exploiting Tibet for its natural resources, now I recognize its devastating effect on the economy and the people of Tibet themselves. The Chinese government may need natural resources, such as water, to sustain their nation, but it is wrong for it to place Tibet’s economy in danger, especially since Tibetans rely on water to sustain their own agricultural economy. Another factor that I have further insight on is the political factor of the argument. China does not recognize Tibet as an independent nation not only due to China’s nationalistic desires to maintain the country’s Qing-era borders, but also due to its insecure need to maintain their global reputation as a strong country. Also, the social factor is more important than I made it seem within my post. Now that the violence toward the Tibetans to quell religious protests has become known around the world, the Chinese government created a false image of harmony between the Tibetans and the Chinese. This issue and the exile of the Fourteenth Dalia Lama have intensified the tension between Tibet and China and have increased the number of protests within this country. All of these factors have made harmony and peace very unlikely for Tibet. If they cannot be solved, Tibet will continue to be oppressed by China for many years to come.
ReplyDelete-Victoria