China Strictly Controls Borders Ahead of 70th Anniversary of Tibet Annexation

Announcement of 15 Prohibitions for Public Safety and COVID-19 Prevention...Strict Punishment for Violations
Strengthening Tibet Border Control Amid US-China Tensions over Xinjiang Issue

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China, which is at odds with the Western camp including the United States over human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is controlling the border of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

On May 23, the Chinese state-run Global Times reported that ahead of the 70th anniversary of the "Peaceful Liberation Agreement of Tibet," 15 acts are prohibited, including entering the border management area without valid documents, evading border inspections, and hunting nationally protected rare animals and plants.

Additionally, activities such as flying private small aircraft, damaging communication and water resource facilities, moving markers indicating border locations, and damaging military facilities are strictly prohibited. The Tibet Public Security Department and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously announced that legal responsibility will be imposed for committing any of these 15 acts.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Yang Minghong, a professor at the School of Social Development at Sichuan University, said, "The Tibet border is geographically rugged and difficult to patrol, so criminal activities frequently occur," adding, "In particular, there have been attempts by outsiders to infiltrate this area in recent years." He further stated, "There was a need to devise appropriate preventive measures ahead of the 70th anniversary of Tibet's liberation," emphasizing the justification for border control.

Zhu Xiaoming, former director of the China Tibetology Research Center, said, "The 15 prohibitions are already included in local laws," and added, "This measure is a regular action not only for prevention but also for border security."

The Global Times also reported that the current Tibet Autonomous Region border control is a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The media emphasized that since India’s daily COVID-19 confirmed cases exceed 100,000, border control is inevitable from the perspective of infectious disease prevention.

It also reported that COVID-19 confirmed cases are rapidly increasing in Ruili City, Yunnan Province, and Chinese health authorities suspect the virus was introduced from Myanmar. Tibet shares borders with India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Myanmar.

Although Chinese media state that the border control is for maintaining security and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in Tibet, it is not unrelated to the Xinjiang issue. Tibet, along with Xinjiang, is considered a powder keg where separatist independence movements can erupt at any time.

China invaded Tibet in October 1950 and, on May 23 of the following year, signed the "Agreement on the Method of Peaceful Liberation of Tibet (17-Point Agreement)" to annex Tibet.

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