China condemns US appointment of coordinator for Tibet, slams it as “political manipulation”

The United States has time and again raised a call against China’s human rights violations and its rampant expansive territorial claims. On Wednesday, Washington, appointed a senior human rights official as the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Robert Destro. Destro, whose appointment was announced by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has been assigned the responsibility to coordinate US stand with regard to Tibetan issues with China. Beijing, much irked by the US new appointment for the position, which was otherwise vacant since 2017, called it a ‘political manipulation’.

While making the appointment public, Pompeo said that Destro “will lead U.S. efforts to promote dialogue between the People’s Republic of China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives; protect the unique religious, cultural, and linguistic identity of Tibetans; and press for their human rights to be respected.”

As per Reuters report, China officially slammed the US President Donald Trump’s administration for the move on Thursday accusing latter of trying to destabilise Tibet and meddling in its internal affairs. Beijing has openly refused to acknowledge the authority and hold talks with the US coordinator.

Tibet affairs are China’s internal affairs that allow no foreign interference. The setting up of the so-called coordinator for Tibetan issues is entirely out of political manipulation to interfere in China’s internal affairs and destabilise Tibet. China firmly opposes that.

Zhao Lijian, a spokesman at the Chinese foreign ministry

Observers believe that the latest US appointment would only impair the already worsening ties between two of the world’s biggest economies. The two have been at it for a decade, trying to arm-twist each other over a range of issues including trade war, Taiwan’s endangered democracy, human rights violations, the South China Sea expansion, the handling of coronavirus and related conspiracy theories.

“People of all ethnic groups in Tibet are part of the big family of the Chinese nation, and since its peaceful liberation, Tibet has had prosperous economic growth,” Zhao said. He described the China’s control over Tibet, taken over in 1950, as a ‘peaceful liberation” from its ‘feudalistic’ past.

Contrary to Zhao’s opinion, Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, refers to Beijing’s rule over Tibet as “cultural genocide.” The exiled leader, living in India has been deemed terrorist by the communist state.

Like Zhao, many Chinese officials have been ardently raising the call for ‘One-China’. Last week, Ji Rong, Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India, took to Twitter to write, “One-#China policy is long-standing position of #Indian government. China firmly opposes any individual or any move trying to create “two Chinas” or “One-China, one  Taiwan”, which violates this position.”

Contrary to Zhao’s opinion, Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, refers Beijing’s rule over Tibet as “cultural genocide.” The exiled leader, living in India has been deemed terrorist by the communist state.