Since 1950, when Beijing claimed sovereignty over Tibet, China has tried to maintain a strong grip over this region. Hu Jintao, the sixth President of China has an interesting back story. From 1988 to 1992, he was the Communist Party leader of Tibet.

As the party secretary in Tibet, Jintao suppressed an uprising. In 1989, martial law was declared in Tibet, and Tibetans rose to revolt against Chinese occupation. The movement was crushed by China. Spain went to the extent of indicting Hu Jintao for the genocide in Tibet.

Treasure house?

The Chinese refer to tibet as “Xizang”, which means “the western treasure house”. Tibet sits on the western edge of China and links China – to south and central Asia. Tibet has also been a part of key trading routes since ancient times

From the 7th century to the 21st, Tibet has remained a contested region. A lot of parties have fought for the region. The Mongols under Genghis Khan fought in 1240, the Nepalese in 1855, and the British in 1903.

Also read: China sharply expands mass labour programme in Tibet

Since 1950, China has been occupying Tibet, and looting it of all its treasures including water, among many natural resources. 

Tibet is called Asia’s water tower. The Qinghai-Tibet plateau is a crucial water source for China. Tibetan glaciers and snow-capped hills feed great rivers like the Brahmaputra, Mekong, Yangtze and the Indus. Tibet serves as the source of 10 major asian river systems – rivers that flow into as many as 10 countries. And China has been building dams to control the flow of these waters.

Water wars

In 2008, China operationalised the Yulong copper mine. Reports say, this mine is the source of Tibet’s biggest copper deposits.

According to another claim, Tibet has huge reserves of copper, lithium, gold and silver.Most of it has been untouched because it is against the religious practices of tibetans to mine these lands. Beijing earns a sizeable chunk of its tourism revenues from Tibet.

Also read: India is now working to free Tibet

Last year, China reported that more than 40 million tourists visited the region, with the tourism revenue  exceeding seven billion dollars.

With every leadership change, Beijing has tightened its hold over Tibet. Hu Jintao imposed martial law. His successor, Xi Jinping wants to build a fortress.

In August, he met with representatives from the region and issued new policy directions for Tibet. He said political and ideological education must be strengthened in tibet’s schools: A move to make Tibetans more loyal to the Communist Party, by influencing young minds.

The adults are being forced into labour training. China’s militant control over Tibet includes indoctrination, mass jails, and plunder.