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TOKYO / AP
The prime minister of the self-declared Tibetan government-in-exile said on Monday that he has high expectations for President Donald Trump to support dialogue between the Tibetans and Beijing, as Trump’s predecessors have.
Lobsang Sangay told foreign journalists in Tokyo that “it matters” what the United States does and says,” and that Tibetans should “remain hopeful” that the US can serve as an intermediary.
Previous US administrations have acknowledged the “one China” policy but supported dialogue between the exiled Tibetans and Beijing under the Dalai Lama’s “middle way” approach, which calls for seeking regional autonomy under Chinese rule.
China doesn’t recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile, and hasn’t held any dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama, the Tibetans’ spiritual leader, since 2010. The Dalai Lama and his followers have been living in exile in Dharamsala, India, since they fled Tibet after a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule.
China maintains that Tibet has been part of its territory for more than seven centuries, while many Tibetans say they were effectively an independent country for most of that time.