What Is the 17 Point Agreement

Tibetan nationality is one of the nationalities with a long history within the borders of China and, like many other nationalities, fulfilled its glorious duty during the establishment and development of the great homeland. But in the last hundred years and more, imperialist forces have invaded China and then invaded the Tibetan region, committing all kinds of deceptions and provocations. Like previous reactionary governments, the reactionary KMT government has continued its policy of oppression and sowed discord among nationalities, leading to division and disunity among the Tibetan people. The local government of Tibet has not resisted imperialist deceptions and provocations, but has adopted an unpatriotic attitude towards the great homeland. Under such conditions, the Tibetan nationality and the Tibetan people have been plunged into the depths of slavery and suffering. In 1949, a fundamental victory was achieved on a national scale in the Chinese people`s liberation war; the common internal enemy of all nationalities – the reactionary KMT government – has been overthrown; And the common foreign enemy of all nationalities – the aggressive imperialist forces – was expelled. On this basis, the establishment of the People`s Republic of China and the Central People`s Government was announced. In accordance with the joint programme adopted by the Chinese People`s Political Consultative Conference, the Central People`s Government has declared that all nationalities within the borders of the People`s Republic of China are equal, will establish unity and mutual assistance, and will oppose imperialism and its own state enemies so that the People`s Republic of China can become a great family of brotherhood and cooperation. composed of all its nationalities. Within this large family of nationalities of the People`s Republic of China, national regional autonomy should be exercised in areas where national minorities are concentrated, and all national minorities should have the freedom to develop their spoken and written languages and to preserve or reform their religious customs, habits and beliefs. and the Central People`s Government will assist all national minorities in its political, economic, cultural and educational construction work. Since then, all nationalities in the country, with the exception of those in the Tibet and Taiwan regions, have been granted liberation. Under the unified leadership of the Central People`s Government and the direct leadership of the higher levels of people`s governments, all national minorities have fully enjoyed the right to national equality and have exercised or are exercising national regional autonomy.

So that the influences of the aggressive imperialist forces in Tibet can be successfully eliminated, the unification of the territory and sovereignty of the People`s Republic of China can be achieved and national defense can be preserved; so that the Tibetan nationality and people may be released and returned to the great family of the People`s Republic of China to enjoy the same rights to national equality as all other nationalities of the country and to develop their political, economic, cultural and educational work, the Central People`s Government, when it ordered the People`s Liberation Army to invade Tibet, notified the local government of Tibet to send delegates to the central authorities to hold talks on the conclusion of an agreement on measures for the peaceful liberation of Tibet. In the second half of April 1951, the delegates arrived in Beijing with the full powers of the local government of Tibet. The Central People`s Government has appointed representatives with full authority to hold amicable talks with delegates of the local government of Tibet. The result of the talks is that both sides agreed to establish this agreement and ensure that it enters into force. But China quickly broke its promises to respect and protect “the religious beliefs, customs and habits of the Tibetan people,” Topla said. “And that is why His Holiness the Dalai Lama refuted the agreement in Tezpur, India, in 1959,” he said in a statement to the international community. “And China has no longer shown any inclination to abide by its own part of the agreement,” including pledging not to interfere in the functioning of the Tibetan government or in the status and role of Tibet`s leader and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said Jigme Yeshe, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Calcutta University. Of the 55 ethnic minority regions in China, Tibet is the only one with which the Chinese government has reached such an agreement. And we have to keep in mind that this makes Tibet unique and incomparable,” Tsering said. Beijing exploited the deal to claim that China had carried out the “peaceful liberation of Tibet.” It was not until 1959, after the Tibetan uprising and the Dalai Lama`s flight to India, that he was able to publicly reject the Seventeen Point Agreement. He said the so-called agreement “was imposed on the Tibetan government and the Tibetan people by the threat of arms” and that the Tibetan government was the only legitimate representative of Tibet. May 23, 2021 marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the “Seventeen Point Agreement of the Central People`s Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet.” This agreement legitimized the People`s Republic of China`s (PRC) claims to Tibet and retroactively justified the military invasion of eastern Tibet by the People`s Liberation Army (PLA) the previous year.

The 17-point agreement is a very important valid historical document that reveals the true nature of China-Tibetan relations at this crucial turning point in the history of Tibetan independence. Although it was imposed on the Tibetan government by Communist China, it remains an important testimony to the fact that Tibet was never part of China before the agreement. The agreement was born out of Tibet`s special political status. Analysts have described the deal as a model of the PRC`s current “one country, two systems” formula applied to Hong Kong. The trial was directed against Tibet: the agreement was drafted by China, Tibetan representatives were not allowed to negotiate changes or even communicate with the Tibetan government in Lhasa. Under duress and without the knowledge of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government, the delegation signed the agreement using seals provided to them by Beijing. .