State Media Praising Tibet Daily... Chinese Government Steps Forward with 'Carrot' Approach

Expansion of Economic Support Including the 14th Five-Year Economic Plan... State Media Reports Daily
Preemptive Blocking of Separatist Movements Amid US Confrontation
Pompeo "Concerned About Tibet Sinicization"... Could Become a New Flashpoint in US-China Conflict

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] The Chinese government has been emphasizing the 'economic development of Tibet (Xizang Autonomous Region)' day after day.

Amid sharp confrontations with the United States over the Hong Kong National Security Law, Xinjiang Uyghur human rights and independence, South China Sea territorial claims, and Taiwan independence issues, there is an interpretation that the Chinese government is presenting a carrot to soothe separatist movements in the Tibet region.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a briefing on the 2nd (local time), "We are concerned about the Chinese government's actions to Sinicize Tibet," adding weight to the possibility that the U.S.-China conflict could expand to Tibet.

President Xi Jinping's special order, 'Protect Tibet' = The Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, People's Daily, has recently been prominently featuring reports related to Tibet.

On the 31st of last month, it reported the results of the '7th Central Tibet Work Forum of the Chinese Communist Party' on the front page, and on the 2nd of this month, it published an explanatory article on President Xi's remarks at the forum on the front page. On the 3rd, it placed an explanatory article titled "The Party Central Committee attaches great importance to working in Tibet" at the top of the second page.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency and Global Times also gave significant coverage to the Tibet Work Forum and related content. The Tibet Work Forum is one of the important meetings of the Chinese Communist Party that determines policy direction and was held for the first time in five years since 2015.

While the fact that the meeting was held after five years is meaningful, state media seem to be focusing on the content. Chinese media reported mainly on President Xi's emphasized points such as strengthening political and ideological education in the Tibet region, maintaining peace and stability, and strengthening the border.

At the forum, President Xi said, "Let us fight separatists and maintain regional stability." He added, "In the new era, Tibet-related work should focus on safeguarding national unity and strengthening ethnic solidarity." President Xi also ordered patriotic education, including views on ethnicity and history.

After reporting President Xi's remarks, People's Daily described the way to solve all Tibet-related issues in one word: 'development.'

It repeatedly emphasized that, for Tibet's development, not only poverty alleviation but also expanding jobs and preparing separate support measures to enable the Tibet region to have economic leeway are necessary.

In particular, People's Daily mentioned the soon-to-be-announced 'China's 14th Five-Year Plan.'

This is interpreted to mean that the economic development blueprint promoted by the Chinese government over the next five years is likely to include special support measures for Tibet.

Yang Gap-yong, a research fellow at the National Security Strategy Institute, said in an interview, "The 14th Five-Year Economic Plan, to be implemented from next year, is expected to emphasize the 'border areas.'" Developing border areas that connect with other countries is inevitable to strengthen the Belt and Road Initiative, a core project of President Xi.

China moves to consolidate internally with conciliatory measures = The Chinese government's policy strongly aims to suppress separatist intentions. Especially, Hong Kong and Taiwan, considered two of China's three core interest regions along with Tibet, are in constant turmoil due to conflicts with the United States. There is a need to soothe Tibet, which is relatively easier to manage.

The rising level of border disputes with India, which faces Tibet, is also a burden. If the Indian government supports Tibet's separatist independence to pressure China, the Chinese government could find itself in a difficult situation.

A Chinese diplomatic source said, "Internally, due to separatist issues, and externally, due to conflicts with the U.S. and Western camp, the Chinese government may find itself in a dilemma," adding, "It seems that the Chinese leadership announced support policies for Tibet to extinguish the spark in advance."

However, since the United States has officially mentioned the Tibet issue, the possibility of U.S.-China conflicts spreading to this region cannot be ruled out.

U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo expressed concern about the Sinicization of Tibet and said, "We will continue to demand that the Chinese side meet unconditionally with the Dalai Lama and reach a smooth agreement."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.