Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, July 17: The President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), known also as the Tibetan government in exile, Penpa Tsering, has strongly criticised Australia’s muted stance on China’s human rights record, warning against prioritising economic interests over fundamental democratic values.
In an interview with The Canberra Times and the Australian Associated Press (AAP) during his visit to Australia, the Tibetan exile leader cautioned that China’s repressive influence extends beyond its borders, even into democratic countries like Australia. He noted that many Tibetans residing in Australia are former political prisoners who often feel compelled to self-censor criticisms of China out of fear that it could jeopardise their ability to obtain visas to visit family members in Tibet.
President Tsering’s comments come as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Beijing on Tuesday to strengthen trade ties with China. Despite President Tsering’s call for Albanese to publicly address China’s rights abuses, particularly in Tibet during his diplomatic engagement, the Australian leader made no mention of these concerns in his public statements following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“As long as you have business, economic development, everybody feels comfortable and they don’t talk about human rights — everything goes under the carpet, that’s very sad,” Tsering told AAP.
He further added, “I would like to believe that Australia is concerned about human rights situations, religious freedoms in every part of the world, because that’s a value that Australians cherish as a democratic, free country.”
As Albanese seeks deeper economic cooperation with Beijing, Tsering called on the Australian government to reconsider its trade strategy and give China less business. He argued that continued business engagement with China enables the regime to finance its military expansion and domestic repression.
“People look for material benefit more than moral values, unfortunately,” the CTA President said.
Although President Penpa Tsering’s current visit to Australia focuses on engaging with Tibetan communities, he is expected to return in February for a diplomatically focused tour, according to The Canberra Times.
During an interactive session with the Canberra Tibetan community on July 15, Sikyong Tsering outlined the 16th Cabinet’s key efforts, including improving the welfare of the exile community and sustaining the Tibetan administration and settlements to preserve Tibetan identity, according to the CTA-run official portal, tibet.net.
Addressing concerns over the termination of USAID support, he assured the community that the Cabinet had secured most of the lost funding through advocacy in the U.S. He also highlighted initiatives such as a demographic survey, administrative reforms, and staff training aimed at improving planning, productivity, and the overall effectiveness of the Tibetan freedom movement.
President Tsering further updated the community on housing and land distribution for new arrivals from Tibet and those who have not received such facilities. He stated that resettlement efforts are ongoing in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, with infrastructure development supporting clustered settlements, particularly in Arunachal and southern India.
