Publication

This paper examines Beijing’s Tibet policy during the 1980s and 1990s and highlights the extent to which the issue of sovereignty constitutes the central factor in current Sino-Tibetan dispute. It also discusses Beijing’s desire to secure jurisdictional claims over Tibet despite occasional demonstrations of limited flexibility on jurisdictional issues. The paper considers factors contributing to the sustained contraction in the Chinese position during the late 1990s. While the study finds that Beijing’s fundamental position on Tibet has not shifted, given Beijing’s stance that the Tibetan region and people remain an integral part of China, it also concludes the prospects for a real breakthrough on the “Tibet issue” remains quite remote.