"The Obama administration also could take up the issue of Tibet more seriously with the new Chinese leadership appointed at the 18th Party Congress. Tibetans in Tibet are crying out for justice, including the autonomy and freedom to worship they have been promised by Beijing over the years. Some 72 Tibetans have set themselves on fire, 70 of them since March 2011, and five in one day this month alone. The common cry of all self-immolators is the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans.
Helping resolve the issue of Tibet is not only in synch with American values, but it is also a strategic imperative. America and the rest of the world have a vital stake in China's rise from an economic giant to a potential superpower. With regard to the development of real stability in China and peace in Asia, a litmus test will be China's willingness to grant genuine autonomy for Tibet within the framework of the constitution of the People's Republic of China.
Solving the Tibet problem will help improve relations between China and India. It will allow Tibetans to resume their traditional role of being responsible stewards of Tibet's immense natural resources, including the management of Asia's great rivers that originate in Tibet and on which hundred of millions of Asians depend for their livelihood and their very survival.
This I believe is the current sentiment of many in China and the aspiration of Tibetans in Tibet. President Obama's leadership on this shared sentiment will give a much-needed human rights dimension to America's Asia pivot."
excerpted from the article of Lobsang Sangay in WALL STREET JOURNAL
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