Torch Back in China

With just under 100 days remaining before the opening ceremony of this summer’s Games, the torch has completed the international half of its relay and reached China. After being paraded through Hong Kong (read James Reynold’s blog entry) on Friday, the torch returned to the mainland and travelled through the Southern province of Hainan. Given the chaotic nature of the journey thus far, Beijing officials will undoubtedly be relieved to see the torch on home soil. The remaining legs (which the BBC will continue to cover) are expected to remain peaceful; only the Tibetan leg scheduled for June 20th-21^st is likely to face disruptions.

Meanwhile, talks between Tibetan envoys and Chinese government authorities have begun. Today Chinese President Hu Jintao said he hoped the summit, taking place in the Southern town of Shenzhen, would be a success. However, he also made clear that he would like the Bhuddist leader to acknowledge that Tibet is an integral part of China and not an independent entity. The Dalai Lama insists he doesn’t want independence, but a high level of autonomy, for the predominantly Buddhist Himalayan region. Many Western observers believe that negotiations are doomed to fail.

China Agrees to Talks

According to China’s Xinhua News Agency (who also have an English language page), Chinese government officials are willing to meet representatives of the Dalai Lama in the coming days. Earlier this week, Tibet’s spiritual leader renewed his appeal for talks between Beijing’s authorities and his Tibetan envoys (read the Dalai Lama’s letter on his homepage). China will agree to hold discussions, under the condition that Tibet makes a convincing effort to end violence and protest. The announcement from Beijing called on Dalai Lama supporters to “stop inciting violence…and stop sabotaging the Beijing Olympic Games.”

A summit would be the first meeting held by members of both factions since violent demonstrations began in Tibet in March. Western observers have claimed that Beijing officials may use the talks simply to give the impression of being willing to engage in dialogue, in order to pacify critics and buy time. The Dalai Lama’s envoys are likely to use the opportunity to voice their concerns over China’s handling of the protests and put forward a proposal to bring peace to the region. However, China will not acknowledge talks as official negotiations.