75 years of repression against millions of people. A Tibetan politician spoke about Beijing's methods
Dalai Lama during his visit to Zurich, August 25, 2024 (Photo: EFE/MICHAEL BUHOLZER)

Almost the entire population of Tibet, about 7 million people, live under repression by the Chinese authorities. According to the US State Department, there are up to 2000 political prisoners. Kelsang (Kaidor) Auktsang, a leading Tibetan politician in exile, described these living conditions in the region of China, occupied by Chinese troops 75 years ago, in a comment to a Liga.net article.

The Chinese Communist Party, from Mao Zedong to Xi Jinping, has never been certain of the loyalty of Tibetans, which is why the region is still under repression, Auktsang said.

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"Beijing has published 18 documents on Tibet's belonging to China, the most recent in March 2025. The reason why this propaganda and disinformation has to be repeated so often is that after 75 years of control, China still feels illegitimate in Tibet," said Auktsang.

The Tibetan people and culture are fundamentally different from the Chinese, the politician explained. Tibet has its own history, and the people's deep faith in Buddhism and the Dalai Lama is a direct threat to the one-party, one-person, one-culture system – the Chinese Communist Party led by its leader Xi Jinping.

Since Xi came to power, he has been pursuing an increasingly harsh policy of assimilation and Sinicization of Tibetans, and the Chinese authorities are trying to replace everything Tibetan with Chinese – language, culture, religion and identity.

  • July 6th marks the 90th birthday of the Dalai Lama . The Tibetan diaspora and the authorities in Beijing are arguing over who has the right to determine where the spiritual leader of Tibet will be reincarnated – in the territory of Tibetan refugees in India, or in the territory of Tibet controlled by China. Influence over the Dalai Lama would allow Beijing to more effectively control Tibet.