Xi visits Tibetan sites in Qinghai
Xi Jinping is doubling down on assimilationist ethnic policy.
On Tuesday, the big man visited Qinghai province, stopping by:
- A secondary school jointly built by Shanghai and Guoluo, a prefecture that's over 90% Tibetan
- Hongjue, a Tibetan Buddhist temple
The goal: Showcasing the Party’s ethnic policy achievements.
ICYDK: Shanghai was paired with Guoluo in 2010 under the “paired assistance” program, under which Shanghai gives the prefecture financial and technical support to promote economic development.
- The school is a signature project; the majority of its students are Tibetan, and many of its staff are from Shanghai.
- State media highlighted that the school uses the same textbooks as schools elsewhere (CCTV 1).
Also: Hongjue is where Xi’s late father, Xi Zhongxun, met the tenth Panchen Lama, after he had endorsed the Party’s plan to “liberate Tibet” in 1951.
- In 2021, the temple was selected to pilot “Qinghai ethnic unity and progress“ (CCTV 2).
Get smart: The timing of Xi’s visit is curious.
- When Xi was in Qianghai, US lawmakers were in India meeting the Dalai Lama, where they signaled their support for a new bill to pressure Beijing on Tibet.
Get smarter: Beijing's assimilationist ethnic policy is here to stay, regardless of the what the US thinks about it.