The Tibetan Plateau maintained close contacts with other parts of China in the political, economic and cultural fields in history. Tibet was officially put under the jurisdiction of the Central Government of China in middle of the 13th century, which is held by historians as the inevitable result of the historical development of China. In the 700-odd years thereafter, Tibet was ruled by the upper-class monks and lay people. During the period, the Central Government exercised rule over the territory of Tibet.
China, Tibet included, was reduced into a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society after 1840. While leaving no stone unturned to carve up China, imperialist powers worked hard to cultivate people who stood for national separation. These people did their best to incite Tibetan independence, but failed to succeed.
The People’s Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949. On May 23, 1951, the Agreement of the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet ("17-Article Agreement" for short) was signed in Beijing to bring about the peaceful liberation of Tibet. This was an important part of the cause of the Chinese people’s national liberation, a great event in the nation’s struggle against imperialism to safeguard national unity and sovereignty and a milestone marking the commencement of Tibet's progress from a dark and backward society toward a bright and advanced future.
In the 1950s, when slavery and serfdom had long since been abandoned by modern civilization, Tibet still remained a society of theocratic feudal serfdom. Through the Democratic Reform in 1959, Tibet has abolished feudal serfdom and theocracy, established the system of people's congresses with the people as masters of the country. The Tibet Autonomous Region was established officially in September 1965.
Over the past 50 years since then, Tibet has gained unprecedented achievements in various undertakings, witnessed great changes in social outlook and profound changes in the people’s lives, greatly improved the human rights conditions, achieved rapid and comprehensive economic and social development and made a world-acclaimed historical leap.
The past over 60 years have shown that Tibet shares its destiny with the rest of the motherland; its development, in fact, would have been impossible without that of China as a whole. Tibet's rebirth and development would have been impossible without national unification, independence and prosperity, the great unity of the Chinese nation, the support of the entire nation and the firm leadership of the Central Government. Only by adhering to the leadership of the CPC, the path of socialism, the system of regional ethnic autonomy, and the development mode with Chinese characteristics and Tibet's regional features, can it enjoy lasting prosperity and a bright future.
The Dalai clique trumpeted the "middle way" in an attempt to gain the so-called "high degree of autonomy" by setting up the "greater Tibet" free from the jurisdiction of the Central Government. This move negates Chinese sovereignty over Tibet and is aimed at realizing its pipe dream of "greater Tibet". Facts will tell the Dalai Lama his dream goes against the PRC Constitution and the State system. It will certainly be doomed.
