China, South Africa and Tibet: About A New Apartheid

A new kind of apartheid is emerging from a country which had been under five decades of apartheid regime. The recent denial of a visa for the Dalai Lama to enter and attend a conference in South Africa has created much uproar in the breaking news! Dalai Lama was to attend the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's conference to highlight football's role in fighting xenophobia and racism. 

To deny the entry of the Dalai Lama to a conference on xenophobia and racism is a contradiction in itself. China's economic might and growing integration with the South African economy have proved to be the deciding factor behind denying visas to the Dalai Lama. Isn't such an act the most blatant example of discrimination in itself? 

While the South African government has sighted the reason that the presence of the Dalai Lama will divert the focus from the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which South Africa will host, to do it without detailing how it could happen means that there is a hidden hand at work. That this should happen in South Africa is a cause of concern for a couple of reasons. 

This decision has created a great deal of uproar at the domestic and international levels. First and foremost, this has resulted in the event's postponement, as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former president F W de Klerk said they would not attend if the Dalai Lama were not present. The Norwegian Nobel Committee asserted the same. Meanwhile, Mandla Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, attacked the African National Congress's decision to deny the visa to the Dalai Lama. He has commented that this step goes against the spirit of South African democracy. 

But the issue does not appear to be this simple. It appears that the South African government has agreed to take Beijing's side and has been awarded due appreciation as well. Qin Gang, the foreign ministry spokesman, said: "All countries should respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and oppose Tibetan independence. We appreciate relevant countries' measures." Though this does not mention South Africa, it is quite clear who this refers to. 

Beijing has always proposed proposals to countries to deny the entry of Dalai Lama. In South Africa, this denial came just days after China established an office in Johannesburg to allocate about $6.5 billion in investment funds. It would not be farfetched to say that this denial has at least backfired for the South African government. There have been reports in the local media calling it timid. The refusal to condemn Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe or to vote against the Burmese military government at the United Nations shows that the South African government is fast losing its credibility. Though South Africa has been under authoritative regimes for a long time, the current government is ready to align with the hard-line Chinese attitude towards Tibet. 

Economic interests decide how the world interacts with and responds to China. Last year, after the Tibetan uprising, a few voices initially took a pro-Tibetan stance. The most prominent among these was the stand taken by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Though initially he asserted that he wouldn't be attending the Beijing Olympics inaugural, he changed his stand later and went to the function. This proves that economic interests are the ultimate deciding factor in international relations. 

Though the organizers took the step to avoid diverting attention from football, it has resulted in the media world paying attention to the Tibetan cause. What is amusing is that a Conference that was supposed to be dealing with issues of xenophobia and racism has proved to be outright discriminating in nature. 

Kowtowing to the Chinese stand has further changed the dynamics of the ongoing Tibetan struggle. In the past, the Dalai Lama only had to struggle against Beijing, but the current trend shows that he might now have to struggle against the whole world. With China becoming more and more integrated with the world economy, the more sidelined the questions related to Tibet, Taiwan, and Human Rights violations will become. The beginning of this trend was unveiled during Hillary Clinton's visit to Beijing last month. Even the United States, which in the past had upheld the cause of the Tibetan people, has accepted Beijing's stand tacitly. 10. In this scenario, India's situation becomes increasingly precarious, and its diplomacy is constantly tested. The Tibetan government in exile is located in Dharamshala. It appears that the Chinese government is successfully building an anti-Tibet lobby worldwide. What will India do if such an instance of visa denial to Dalai Lama becomes the order of the day? Will India be in a position to take a stand for or against the Tibetan struggle without jeopardizing its economic as well as internal security issues? As the Tibetan population gets more and more integrated within the Indian society, it will become more and more difficult for the Indian government to take a coherent stand. 

In this scenario, India's situation becomes more and more precarious, and its diplomacy is constantly put to the test. The Tibetan government in exile is located in Dharamshala. It appears that the Chinese government is successfully building an anti-Tibet lobby worldwide. What will India do if such an instance of visa denial to Dalai Lama becomes the order of the day? Will India be in a position to take a stand for or against the Tibetan struggle without jeopardizing its economic as well as internal security issues? As the Tibetan population gets more and more integrated within the Indian society, it will become more and more difficult for the Indian government to take a coherent stand.