Obama’s maiden China trip deserves no standing ovation!
By Chime Tenzing
The President of the United States and the Nobel Peace laureate Barack Obama has just ‘successfully’ concluded his maiden Presidential tour to China, but without shaking Beijing out of its drunken stupor!
The world media is left with not much to cover about his maiden China trip on Tibet and human rights issues, that’s why the news is flooded with ugly and repulsive headlines like ‘Outrage in Washington over Obama’s Japan bow’ which has strangely drawn sharp criticism from a section of American conservatives! President Barack Obama bowing to Japan’s emperor has incensed critics here, who said the US leader should stand tall when representing America overseas.
What Obama did on Tibet was, he went on to endorse China’s sovereignty over Tibet and skillfully managed to raise some human rights and freedom of expression issues to quell the prevailing anticipation of the Tibetans and its supporters worldwide. His speeches made no readable headlines because China was way ahead in hogging the limelight to project its propagandist views and anti-Dalai Lama statements. Therefore, Obama proved nothing beyond a good listener to the Chinese blatant affirmation that the Dalai Lama is a “slave master, covert secessionist and general evil-doer”.
More than that, China had the cheek to draw an unimaginative analogy between old Tibet’s serfdom with the past America’s slavery history. By doing so China intended to project itself in the same frame as Lincoln who abolished slavery in the United States. Despite such tongue-in-cheek comparison with the man on whom American pride rests, Obama remained mute like a cool Chinese dude!
The world had been witness to Obama’s rehearsal feats before his maiden China visit. He had somehow managed to skip a probable meeting with the Dalai Lama when the spiritual guru was in the States last month. He was visibly stuck in a ‘diplomatic dilemma’ at that time – Dalai Lama at one side and China on the other. However, he managed to create a win-win-situation for both the sides in the end.
Obama’s Presidential slogan “change we can” inspired millions of youth around the globe, including myself. But as a Tibetan, now I am beginning to doubt in his character as a leader of the mightiest nation on earth. My initial hope for some ‘change’ and breakthroughs in Tibet-China deadlock is beginning to waver. This new leader hailed by the world until now, is proving no different from the other Chinese boot-licker leaders around the world. But, I am not giving up my hope completely as of now. Because there are still some more days and years to come by to see the real Obama – who can make the ‘change’, happen for Tibet and the world.
Meanwhile as he concludes his high-profile China trip, we are left with an open-ended question: Did Obama really talk Tibet with China? (as he claimed). Whatever may be the truth, we demand no answer for now because that would bring about an end to the Obama story. We are ready to float with the suspense for some more time to see a happy denouement. Until then the show must go on!
[OPINION-DISCLAIMER]
