Instead, political and social actions would be much more productive by engaging with the Chinese government and Chinese public to discuss the issue of greater Tibet autonomy. In terms of political action, every effort should be made to encourage dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama. Although the Chinese Communist Party disdains foreign involvement in what it considers domestic affairs, and has shown little to no willingness to enter discussions with the spiritual leader, there are tools of leverage available, which do not include counter-productive threats of economic penalties or attempts at isolation. From a Canadian perspective, one can look consider the desire of Chinese state-owned companies to invest in Canadian natural resources as such a bargaining chip. Another is Canada's refusal to extradite convicted Chinese criminals.
Canadian policies should never simply be made to appease China. My point is only to underline China's respect for power politics and the potential for diplomacy to achieve real gains in dealing with the Chinese government. However, diplomacy can only begin when both parties are willing to sit at the same table together with open minds about how to approach problems of mutual concern. So long as reports are misleading the public these topics of concern and, by consequence, increasing the pressure on Western governments to pursure reactionary policies while discouraging China from engaging with any foreign governments, the outcomes will very likely be determined by the Chinese government, on their own time and own terms. |
