Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 6: The Chinese Embassy in the Netherlands sent a letter to members of the Dutch Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee urging them not to meet with Penpa Tsering, President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), who is currently on an official visit to the Netherlands.
The letter, dated November 4 and addressed to members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Dutch House of Representatives, sought to convey Beijing’s position on Tibet ahead of the CTA President’s scheduled meeting with the committee. The embassy urged Dutch lawmakers to respect what it described as China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and refrain from providing a platform to the CTA and what it called “Tibet independence” forces.
In the letter, the Chinese Embassy asserted that Tibet, referred to as “Xizang” in the correspondence, had been an “inalienable part of China’s sacred territory since ancient times” and that the Chinese central government had long exercised effective sovereign jurisdiction over the region. It further described the issue of Tibet as “purely China’s internal affairs” and opposed what it characterised as attempts by other countries or organisations to interfere in China’s domestic affairs.
The letter also defended Beijing’s record in Tibet, claiming that the region had experienced economic growth, social stability and the preservation of cultural heritage under Chinese rule. Citing figures from 2025, the embassy stated that Tibet’s GDP had exceeded RMB 300 billion, nearly tripling from 2012, while highlighting infrastructure development, including railway and highway expansion. It further claimed that the completion rate for nine-year compulsory education remained above 98 per cent, life expectancy had increased from 35.5 years in 1951 to 72.2 years, and healthcare coverage had expanded across urban and rural areas.
The embassy also described the CTA as a “separatist political organization” pursuing “Tibetan independence” and claimed that it operated in violation of China’s Constitution and laws and was not recognised by any country. It urged the Dutch Foreign Affairs Committee to refrain from providing a platform for what it termed “Tibet independence forces to carry out anti-China activities.”
Despite the Chinese Embassy’s intervention, the CTA President proceeded with his official engagements in the Netherlands, holding discussions with Dutch government officials and meeting members of the Dutch media to address a range of issues concerning Tibet.
During the visit, he also delivered a keynote address as a “lightning speaker” at the 6th Annual Summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), where he called on the international community to strengthen its support for Tibet and take concrete political and diplomatic action against what he described as China’s coordinated efforts to erode Tibet’s historical identity, religious freedom and cultural heritage.
In closing, the Chinese Embassy expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue with members of the Dutch House of Representatives, stating that it hoped to present what it described as an “objective, comprehensive and accurate picture” of China and Tibet.
Chinese missions have engaged in aggressive tactics to dissuade foreign leaders from meeting Tibetan exile leadership including His Holiness the Dalai Lama and CTA leadership in the past.
