Thousands of Tibetans protest on 60th anniversary of uprising against China, as state media defend Beijing’s rule

Tibetans exiled in New Delhi march on annual Tibetan Uprising Day, commemorating the failed 1959 uprising

Xinhua denounces ‘vile motives’ of China’s critics, arguing they should ‘recognise Tibet’s tremendous progress in human rights’

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Tibetans living in exile in India take part in a protest against China on Sunday, on the annual Tibetan Uprising Day commemorating the 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 12:09pm, 11 Mar 2019Updated: 11:26pm, 11 Mar 2019

China is defending its often-criticised rule in Tibet 60 years after the Dalai Lama fled into exile amid an abortive uprising against Chinese control, saying those who question its policies are merely showing anti-Chinese bias.

The statements in official media came as Tibetans and their supporters marked the anniversary on Sunday and called for greater international support. Despite decades of such calls, however, the Himalayan region appears no closer to gaining greater autonomy, particularly as China’s global influence grows.

China’s official Xinhua news agency said in an editorial dated Saturday that economic growth, increases in lifespan and better education in the region refute the claims of critics that Tibetans suffer oppression from Beijing.

On Sunday, an editorial in the Communist Party-run Tibet Daily attacked the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s traditional Buddhist leader, for what it said were his efforts to “sow chaos in Tibet”.

His “separatist plots are doomed to total failure”, the paper said.

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