Since publication of the White Paper titled "Tibet--Its Ownership and Human Rights Situation" in Beijing Review issue No.39, many foreigners interested in the Tibetan issue have written to the magazine for additional information. This prompted our staff reporter Lin Liangqi to interview Li Yan, a well-known scholar of Tibetan history. The following is an excerpt from that interview.

Question: Not long ago, the Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China issued a White Paper entitled "Tibet --Its Ownership and Human Rights Situation." Some of our overseas readers disagree about the status of Tibet. Mr.Li Yan, can you provide some basic information which can help people better understand this issue?

Answer: The status of Tibet in China is a settled issue. In his speech at Lok Sabba in 1954,Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said, "Over the past several hundred years, as far as I know, at no time has any foreign country denied China's sovereignty over Tibet."

As early as 1,300 years ago Tibet had close contacts with the Central Plains. Songtsan Gambo, then king of the Tubo Kingdom, filed for marriage in a Tang court. Emperor Taizong, who had a deep understanding of the implications of such a marriage, wedded Princess Wen Cheng to this Tibetan hero. The princess took a large dowry with her to Tibet, including 360 volumes of classical literature, 60 processing techniques, 404 medicinal prescriptions, six varieties of medical instruments and a large selection of vegetable seeds and cloth. Because of her great contributions, statues of the princess are still enshrined and revered at the Yumbulagan, Chamgzhug,Jokhang, Ramoqe and the Potala Palace.

In the early 13th century, Genghis Khan set up the Mongol Khanate in north China.In 1274, Sagya Pandit Gonggar Cyamcan, then the religious leader of Tibet, met the Mongol Prince Gotan at Liangzhou (present-day Wuwei of Gansu Province)and determined the terms for Tibet's submission to Mongol rule. These terms included handing over maps and census books, the payment of tributes and the acceptance of rule by appointed officials. In 1271, the Mongo Khanate changed its tile to Yuan and a central government was established. This government, following the Han (206BC-220)and Tang dynasties, achieved unification of various regions and races within the domain of China. Tibet has since that time been an administrative region directly under the jurisdiction of China's central governments. For more than 700 years now, regardless of the rise and fall of dynasties and the change of political systems, the central governing power has exercised complete sovereignty over Tibet.

Q: I have been told the Dalai Lama has a different opinion about this.

A: I have read about this in newspapers. The Dalai Lama has said that "Tibet is an independent country and China is only a suzerain over Tibet. "However, the past 700 years of history shows that only China has ever been exercising the sovereign rights of an independent country in that region.

Power to Draw Up a Constitution. China's first constitution was the Provisional Constitution of the Republic of China. This document stipulated that China was a unified country consisting of the lands inha- bited by the Han, Manchu,Mongol, Hui, Tibetan and other races. The five-colour flag used as the national flag at that time represented the unity of these five main races. With the exception of some feudal codes handed down through history, Tibet has never had a national constitution.

Power to Appoint Government Officials. There has never been a case of one country's governmental officials being appointed by another country. However, all local leaders and major officials in Tibet must be appointed by China's central government. The High Pacification Commissioners and leaders of Wanhu offices (myriarchies each in command of 10,000 households) of the Yuan Dynasty; the High Commanders of the Ming Dynasty and Tibetan regents and Galoins of the Qing Dynasty were all appointed by the central government. The Dalai Lama has been no exception. His title, incarnation, legal status and ruling authority have to be approved, confirmed and safeguarded by the central government. The 14th Dalai Lama's legal status was made official in 1940 only after being approved by Chiang Kai-shek, then head of the central government. Since the Qing Dynasty, the central government has directly dispatched High Commissioners to Tibet to supervise important Tibetan affairs.

Power to Found an Army. The Tibetan army was organized according to the stipulation of the central government. For example, in 1793, the Qing court stipulated that a regular army of 3,000 be organized in Tbiet, and the army drill according to Qing military regulations and drilling methods. High Commissioners took an inspection tour of the defensive forces in various areas of Tibet each year.

Power to Tax and Issue Currency. Tributes and corvee labour have always been under central government jurisdiction. From 1268 to 1334, the central government took three censuses in Tibet. During the Qing Dynasty, financial expenditures of the Dalai Lama were subject to checking by the High Commissioners. Qing rulers also set up a mint in Tibet along the lines established by those in the interior to make official money for circulation. The words "Qianlong Treasure" were cast in Chinese and Tibetan on both sides of the silver coinage produced there.

Diplomatic Power. All foreign affairs involving Tibet were handled according to stipulations of the central government. Foreign merchants wanting to do business in Tibet must register and the registration book must be filed with the High Commissioners for record, who then issued a travel permit to them. Any foreigner applying to enter Lhasa must be examined and approved by the High Commissioners. Tibetans applying for travel to Nepal and some other places must have travel permits issued by the High Commissioners stating the dates of departure and return and carrying the signature of the High Commissioners.

Who is right? History or the Dalai Lama? The answer is obvious.

Q: So Tibet became a part of China. Was this through circumstances alone or did it have deeper causes?

A: During the past 700 years, through the rise and fall of various Chinese dynasties and the times of peace and war in Tibet, that region has never severed its relations with the central powers. Why? One of the most important reasons is Tibet's special geography. It is set atop the world's highest plateau and has an average elevation of over 4,000 metres. Most of the territory is cut off from the outside world by high mountains or deep rivers, and the population is sparse in most areas. The atmosphere is thin, with atmospheric pressure and oxygen density less than two thirds that of normal elevations. The temperature is low all year round, with the annual average being equaled only by Siberia. The Himalaya Mountains, the Roof of the World, form Tibet's border with India and Nepal, separating Tibet from the Asian subcontinent. This unique geographic setting has virtually walled Tibet in on its southwestern side, so naturally the Central Plains is a doorway through which the development of Tibetan economy and culture must flow. "Unification brings mutual prosperity and separation mutual loss." This was one of the most important reasons for Tibet to remain a part of China over the past 700 years.

(This article appears on page 20, No, 52, 1992)