Date and Time

Sunday November 16

2pm GMT, 9am US Eastern, 7.30pm New Delhi, 10pm Beijing,

About this webinar:

The year 2025 marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of Southwest China’s Xizang (Tibet) Autonomous Region in 1965. It is also the year when a debate on the appointment of the next Dalai Lama is underway. China, the US, and India (where the current Dalai Lama is located) are weighing in. The International Manifesto Group and Friends of Socialist China are offering a rare occasion by assembling a panel composed exclusively of people who have actually visited Xizang.

President Xi led a central delegation to Lhasa on August 20 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the celebration activities. Since 1965, Xizang has made remarkable progress, in addition to the accomplishments from 1951, when it was peacefully unified, to 1965. For example, since 1965, the per capita disposable income of rural residents rose from 108 yuan to 21,578 yuan, life expectancy climbed from 35.5 to 72.5 years, road network length expanded from 14,000 km to 124,900 km, the number of schools grew from 1,828 to 3,618, and rail network operation increased from zero to 1,359 km.

What do eyewitness reports say about the miraculous changes from a century-long cruel serfdom/theocracy to an increasingly modern Xizang? By visiting cultural, educational, and economic sites, or just freely wandering about Lhasa, what can we learn from these report-backs? Is it possible to build socialism with Chinese characteristics and modernization in a society that has recently emerged from serfdom?

What is the reality in a Tibetan area of neighboring Qinghai Province regarding the supposed “cultural and linguistic genocidal boarding schools?” How does this compare to the situation of the First Nations’ residential schools in North America and the current status of their original languages?

Speakers:

Radhika Desai: Professor, University of Manitoba, Convenor of the International Manifesto Group

Gustavo Ng: Chief Editor in DangDai Magazine, Argentina.

Lee Camp: American journalist, Producer of a Xizang (Tibet) documentary

Li Jingjing: Beijing-based journalist, analyst & commentator on international affairs, China’s politics

Leonardo Sobreira: Brazilian Journalist, Executive Editor at Brasil 247 and China observer

Arnold August: Canadian author and journalist, contributes to Friends of Socialist China

Organisers

International Manifesto Group, Friends of Socialist China