Showing posts with label Chinese government. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chinese government. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

"There is stalemate in dialogue with China"

Clad in an starched white Indian kurta-pyjama, speaking fluent Hindi, Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile Dr. Lobsang Sangay breaks his silence for the first time on several key issues. In an exclusive interview with B&E’s Aditya Raj Kaul, the Tibetan leader says that with likely changes in China’s top political leadership, the struggle for Free Tibet will reach a decisive stage next year.

B&E: Almost 40 Tibetans including monks have attempted self-immolation since 2009. Why this sudden increase in such desperate acts of protest? Have they lost hope for a free Tibet?
LS: [Brief silence] Yes, it has been really unfortunate. Question is why? The Chinese Government doesn’t allow any form of free speech like we see in India, here we can have dharnas, hunger strikes, and we can protest, and organise rallies. But in China, especially in Tibet, it is not so. You simply cannot participate in protests, even if it’s a gathering of three people, they get arrested and tortured. Tragically, Tibetans are taking to this rather drastic political act of self-immolation. But all the 40 self-immolators have only hurt themselves and not harmed others. Their demands are pretty clear – the return of His Holiness Dalai Lama and Free Tibet.

B&E: The 27-year-old Tibetan activist Jamphel Yeshi also self-immolated himself hours before Hu Jintao’s arrival in March this year. Is self-immolation the only way of being heard?
LS: We have told people not to indulge in self-immolation. A few days after Jamphel Yeshi’s self- immolation we in fact issued a very strongly worded letter asking Tibetans-in-exile particularly not to resort to self- immolations because we have freedom of speech in India. We can resort to and engage in many other forms of protests. Unfortunately, Tibetans inside Tibet don’t have any other option, but to commit self- immolations.

B&E: Have the concerns over Dalai Lama’s security intensified of late? The Dalai Lama himself recently said that a Tibetan may attack him?
LS: His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s security is of major concern to us. Threat perception always remains. The report (about a Tibetan attacking Dalai Lama) is reliable but not verified. Reports are that the Chinese Government at one time was training people like that, so we have to take all this under consideration.

B&E: Your views on Indo-Tibetan relations in the near future?
LS: Before 1959, India and Tibet had close relations. The 1914 Simla agreement makes it very clear. Tibet is of major interest for India from geo-political, environmental and cultural point-of-view. Culturally, because we follow Buddhism, which we adapted from India. Environmentally because Tibet’s Himalayan geography directly affects the region. And geo-politically because China is building a railway line all the way to India. The Indian government spends billions of dollars for border security. Before 1959, it was not necessary. Resolving the Tibet issue is in India’s interest.

B&E: Is there any ongoing back-channel dialogue with China or does a stalemate persist considering recent resignations of your two appointed emissaries?
LS: At the moment it is a stalemate, mainly because of the Chinese government. The relevant Chinese officials have not reciprocated positively to the memorandum that we submitted. That is why our two appointed envoys resigned. The environment is not conducive for dialogue. The situation inside Tibet is also getting worse. Having said that, we are ready to engage in dialogue with the Chinese government anytime. We seek autonomy within China and within the framework of the Chinese constitution. Most likely with the changes in leadership, by early next year there might be slight changes in the trend.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2013.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
 
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles
 
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Friday, January 25, 2013

It has done in the past many years

Ten reasons why India would grow almost as strongly as it has done in the past many years

FDI: China habitually gets more than $150 billion in foreign direct investments every year. As a percentage of GDP, it hovers between 7% to 10%. In sharp contrast, Indian policy makers start whooping with joy when FDI crosses $20 billion. Not to mention that FDI has almost never exceeded even 0.5% of GDP. Now, we all know that foreign investments will dry up. But since most of India’s GDP growth has been driven by domestic investment, we will be the least adversely affected. Let’s say FDI inflow declines by a whopping 50% or about $10 billion. That works out to one-tenth of one percent of GDP. Do your own maths!

EXPORTS: There are horror stories floating around of how hundreds of thousands of jobs are being lost because exports are slowing down and declining. A recent government survey says that half a million jobs were lost in the last quarter of 2008 because of contracting exports. Half a million jobs gone is bad news indeed. But compare that with an admission by the Chinese government (A government that is loathe to admit anything!) that 20 million jobs were lost in the same period and you suddenly get a fresh perspective on where India stands compared to other nations. Also remember, exports from India still hover around 15% of GDP, one of the lowest figures among major economies in the world.

CONSUMPTION: The Indian economy resembles that of the United States in many unique ways. One of the most striking similarities is that related to consumption. Consumption accounts for just about 35% of GDP in China while it constitutes about 65% of GDP in India. One reason why GDP growth in China kept racing ahead of India was huge increase in investments year after year while consumption expenditure can really grow at more modest levels. When bad times come, consumption might stagnate in India while investment is bound to plunge in China. No wonder, the Indian GDP growth rate will moderate from about 9% to about 7% in 2008-09 while it is poised to crash from 13% to 6% in China. Slow and steady is often better!


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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