'Tibet part of China since ancient times'

Dismissing the "Tibetan independence" movement as an attempt by old and new imperialists to divide the country, China today said historical evidence showed that Tibet has been part of its territory since ancient times.

"No country or government in the world has ever acknowledged the independence of Tibet," a government white paper released today by the Chinese government in connection with 60 years of 'Liberation of Tibet' said.

"China is a unified, multi-ethnic country, and the Tibetan people are important members of the family of the Chinese nation," the white paper titled 'Sixty Years Since Peaceful Liberation of Tibet' said.

Historical facts clearly demonstrate that the so-called 'Tibetan independence' was in fact cooked up by old and new imperialists, and was part of Western aggressors' scheme to carve up the territory of China, it said.

Archaeological and academic research findings show that since ancient times the Tibetan people have been "closely connected with the Han (main Chinese ethnic group) and other ethnic groups in blood relationship, language, culture and other aspects," and economic, political and cultural exchanges between Tibet and inland China "have never been broken off," it said.

The Tibetan group, as one of the centuries-old ethnic groups in China, has made important contributions to the creation and development of this unified, multi-ethnic country and to the formation and evolvement of the Chinese nation, it said.

In the 13th century the central government of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) formally incorporated Tibet into the central administration by setting up the Supreme Control Commission and Commission for Buddhist and Tibetan Affairs to directly administer the military and political affairs of the Tibet region.

Following this, the Yuan central government gradually standardised and institutionalised the administration of Tibet, which was also followed by the Ming (1368-1644) government, it said.

The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) strengthened the central government's administration of Tibet.

In 1653 and 1713 the Qing emperors granted honorific titles to the 5th Dalai Lama and the 5th Panchen Lama, officially establishing the titles of the Dalai Lama and Panchen Erdeni, and their political and religious status in Tibet, it said.

In 1751, the Qing government abolished the system under which the various princes held power, and formally appointed the 7th Dalai Lama to administer the local government of Tibet, and set up the Kashag (cabinet) composed of four Kalons (ministers).

In 1793, the Qing government ordered that the reincarnation of Dalai Lama and other Living Buddhas had to follow the procedure of "drawing lots from the golden urn," and the selected candidate would be subject to the approval by the central authorities of China, it said.

In the Qing Dynasty five Dalai Lamas were selected in this way, but two did not go through the lot-drawing procedure as approved by the Qing emperors, the white paper said.

The Revolution of 1911 toppled the Qing empire, and the Republic of China (1912-1949) was founded.

On March 11, 1912, the Republic of China issued its first constitution, which clarified the central government's sovereignty over Tibet.

It clearly stipulated that Tibet was a part of the territory of the Republic of China, and stated that "the Han, Manchu, Mongol, Hui and Tibetan peoples are of one, and the five ethnic groups will be of one republic," it said.

The white paper said, "The central government of the Republic of China safeguarded the nation's sovereignty over Tibet in spite of frequent civil wars among warlords in the interior."