By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 18: Former Additional Secretary at Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, Jayadeva Ranade said that China under Xi Jinping is at “a cusp of change”, gearing to blanket China and ethnic minorities such as Tibetans under an intensified and systematic state control and that “changes inside China is going to be key driver” over the next few years. Ranade was speaking this morning at an event organized for young researchers by the exile Tibetan government’s think tank Tibet Policy Institute .
Ranade who is the President of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy and had worked for the Indian intelligence (R&AW) said that the Communist Party is at a beginning of a new era led by Xi to tighten the grip over its citizens as well as the People’s Liberation Army through sustained efforts. Xi’s aggressive graft campaigns that has led to arrests and conviction of high level civilian and army officers, and intensified surveillance (CCTVs and police) measures as well as devising the individual credit system to to essentially grade civilians patriotically points to such new draconian control to counter what Chinese policy makers term “western infiltration and the color revolutions”, Ranade said.
On Tibet, the China expert said, “Situation in Tibet has the officials confused and annoyed because it is not a law and order issue. They have pumped in a lot of money and have moved for development yet things are not working out for them.
“They (China) Identify monks and monasteries as being the trouble spots, hence they have created a cadre of monks for those who are patriotic or model monks (pro china), who draw salary, get pension and can even get promoted up to the post of deputy director in a province, essentially buying them off. Secondly by indoctrination and brainwashing, they receive people’s daily, CCTV and national radio. Any Information they get are state controlled,” Ranade further said.
The Tibetan PM, Lobsang Sangay who also attended the event lauded the effort to promote research and scholarship among the Tibetan youth through the initiative and emphasized on its importance in the larger cause of the Tibetan struggle. The Harvard educated Tibetan Prime Minister said, “Tibetan scholars and researchers should strive to have their work recognized not just regionally but also globally and CTA will facilitate young researchers in their endeavors.”
The 2nd edition of the conference hosts over 60 participants including 29 researchers from across India who will deliberate and present their works on Tibetan movement and culture, environment and China’s policies and the exile government’s strategies to resolve the Tibet issue.
