The Australian Tibet Council (ATC) urged Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith to discuss “the future of Tibet” with visiting Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping.
“Specifically, ATC has argued that Xi Jinping, the man almost certain to succeed Hu Jintao as President of China, must be encouraged to use his influence to progress the currently stalled dialogue between the Chinese Government and the Dalai Lama,” the ATC spokesperson said.
“With Australia’s economic future increasingly dependent on China’s long-term stability and prosperity, skillful diplomacy over Tibet is of critical importance,” said Paul Bourke, Executive Officer of the Australia Tibet Council. “The Prime Minister would do well to recall a statement from his party’s own manifesto: ‘Effective human rights diplomacy supports international and regional security and is in Australia’s national interest’.”
Some information for this report was provided by Phayul and ATC.org