China changing public tack on Tibet with trip by Nancy Pelosi: analysts
Allowing US delegation to visit Tibet indicates that Beijing is more at ease with critics of its policies on the western region, analysts say
Beijing is changing its public tack on Tibetan affairs by giving a high-profile reception in the region to a US congressional delegation led by US House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, a long-standing critic of China's policies on human rights and ethnic minorities, analysts said yesterday.
Beijing was more at ease with engaging its critics while not changing its position on major issues on Tibet, such as separatism, the analysts said.
Sichuan University professor Luorongzandui, who knows members of the Chinese delegation that accompanied the US group, said Pelosi visited temples, schools and homes in Tibet, speaking to monks, nuns and residents. The itinerary was confirmed by both sides before the trip and the discussions covered "sensitive topics", he said.
Communist Party mouthpiece Tibet Daily said the US delegation met regional party secretary Chen Quanguo and chairman of Tibet's people's congress Padma Choling on Tuesday afternoon. The report cited Chen as saying that he hoped the United States would not support any separatist activities or allow the Dalai Lama to visit.
Read more: US Congress Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi visits Tibet during China trip
Asked about the report, Pelosi's spokesman Drew Hammill said: "The only thing we have been confirming is that they were in Lhasa from Monday through Wednesday. We have not offered any characterisation of the trip whatsoever."