ELLEN BARRY
The New York Times
October 2, 2014
The Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, indicated on Thursday that he had had discussions with Beijing about making a pilgrimage to Wutai Shan mountain in northern China’s Shanxi Province, in what would be his first visit to the region since he went into exile in 1959.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse in Dharamsala, the Indian town that is now headquarters to Tibet’s exile government, the Dalai Lama said, “It’s not finalized, not yet, but the idea is there.” He said the conversations were taking place “not formally or seriously, but informally.” Wutai Shan is home to many monasteries, and is particularly sacred to Tibetan Buddhists.
“This is my desire, and some of my friends, they are also showing their genuine interest or concern,” he said. “Recently, some Chinese officials, for example the deputy party secretary in the autonomous region of Tibet, he also mentioned the possibility of my visit as a pilgrimage to that sacred place.”
If Chinese authorities allow the Dalai Lama to visit Chinese territory, it will be seen as an important step toward serious talks between the two sides about resolving their long-running conflict, and toward potentially making it possible for the Dalai Lama to return to Tibet, said Robert Barnett, a Tibet specialist at Columbia University.
No official dialogue has taken place between China and the Tibetan exiles since 2010, though leaders in Dharamsala say they receive visits from businessmen and academics who may serve as interlocutors for the Chinese government. The Dalai Lama, who will turn 80 next year, has expressed hope for progress under the new Chinese president, Xi Jinping, whose father was a close friend.
When Mr. Xi visited India this month, the Dalai Lama went out of his way to praise him, telling reporters, “Xi Jinping is more open-minded; his thinking is more realistic.”
The Tibetan cause is an important one to India’s new prime minister, Narendra Modi, who on his first day in power risked irritating China by inviting Lobsang Sangay, the head of the Tibetan exile administration in Dharamsala, to his swearing-in ceremony.
Just over three months later, India made a conciliatory gesture by explicitly acknowledging China’s claim to the Tibetan territory in a joint statement issued during Mr. Xi’s visit. The text of the statement thanked “the local government of the Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China” for allowing Hindu pilgrims to visit sacred sites within its borders.
The Dalai Lama’s comments are only the latest indication that such a trip is under discussion. Late last month, Wu Yingjie, a high-ranking official from the Tibetan Autonomous Region, told journalists that talks were going on through “personal envoys,” and that they were limited to the possibility of his return to Tibet.
“All Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama and the people around him, can return if they accept Tibet and Taiwan as part of China, and give up ‘splittist’ efforts,” he said, in comments reported by The Hindu, an Indian daily newspaper.
Mr. Sangay, the leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, cautioned against reading too much into the chatter, saying, “There is no formal dialogue as such, there is a lot of speculation.
“This theory is an old theory, that His Holiness would visit Wutai Shan mountain,” he said, noting that allowing such a trip could also be seen as a way to dilute the Tibetan independence movement.
“Hundreds of Buddhists come to Dharamsala, some claiming to have some contacts, but we cannot verify it,” Mr. Sangay said. “They say maybe Xi Jinping could be different. We are hopeful, but we have 50 years of bad experience.”
