Tibet China

For centuries Tibet remained one of the most isolated places in the world. The nation spent most of its time and energy on achieving spiritual goals, rather than its defense against outsiders. Therefore, the Chinese government had more opportunities to gain control over Tibet. The core of the China-Tibet conflict is whether or not Tibet is an independent nation. China’s opinion on this issue is that Tibet is an indisputable part of China while the Tibetans consider themselves independent. Both parties have misinterpreted history to serve their purposes, especially China. Given that the Seventeen-Point Agreement was forced, China’s historic claims are inaccurate, and China did not follow through with its promises, Tibet should be an individual country.

On October 7, 1950, Chinese troops crossed the Yangtze River frontier. The troops attacked Tibetan border troops but did not start the military invasion until 1951. The Tibetan government quickly conceded defeat after China’s invasion of Tibet. On May 23, 1951, Tibet signed the “Seventeen-Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet.” The Seventeen-Point Agreement gave a significant degree of autonomy to the Tibetan people. The agreement claimed that the established status, functions and powers of the Tibet governors at that time shall maintain.

The Seventeen-Point Agreement was signed under duress and is, in fact, illegitimate.

In 1951, the People’s Liberation Army(PLA) troops seized Tibet’s eastern provincial capital, Chamdo. The Chinese Central Government ordered their PLA to enter Tibet. While there, the PLA commanded the local government of Tibet to send representatives to negotiate with the Chinese Central Government. During the negotiations, the Chinese representatives provided the Seventeen-Point Agreement. The Tibetan representatives were not allowed to suggest any alterations. Furthermore, the Chinese did not allow the Tibetan representatives