Ethnic Tension and the Struggle for Order: China's Policies in Tibet

Abstract

P OST-MAO REFORMS came to Tibet much later than to the rest of China, and like the aftershocks of an earthquake, they have been far less pronounced. In fact, since 1989 the ground seems to be shifting backwards, with conservatives waging an intense backlash against reforms. Many post-Mao reforms in China to create a more atmosphere have been stifled, nullified, and reversed in Tibet. Criticisms of party policies are often labelled splittist, although they are permitted elsewhere. Foreign powers are almost invariably perceived as hostile, while the open door for trade, tourism, and cultural exchange remains barely ajar. Tibetan religion is challenged by regulations never previously implemented, and the rhetoric of class struggle is reemerging in official pronouncements in Tibet. Tibetan society, as much as ever, is split into two camps divided along ethnic lines. Why are policies in Tibet so restrictive? This article employs hundreds of sources in the Chinese press and a limited number of sources published abroad by social scientists and Tibetan partisans to analyze the international and domestic causes for recent trends in China's most rebellious territory. Internationally, the era of reform in China coincides with a worldwide era of ethnic nationalism.' Domestically, revolts, regional divisions, and cultural biases lead Han Chinese authorities to pursue policies that make the Tibetan plateau the least autonomous region of China. Indeed, elsewhere authorities have promoted regional autonomy as a means to spark local initiative and rapid economic growth. By contrast, since 1989 authorities have essen-