Katelyn+and+Shelby+-+CP+-+SP11

Present day China is oppressing the Tibetan people. The people of Tibet believe in being peaceful and we believe that it should be spread throughout the world. Although, China's government is trying to silence our pleas for moving forward in our plan for becoming a more serene community. China's government attempts to suppress the Chinese people into believing they have enough rights to ensure China is the best it can be. Yet, we can see beyond this. The Tibetan people are aware that there is so much more that can be accomplished in China. I've made a set of rules that I believe a person should live by. One of these rules is: When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. This situation could certainly apply to what has happened in China. Once the government saw their ideals was leading China down the wrong path they should have corrected the situation, instead they tried to cover their tracks with many more mistakes. We are a peaceful people here in Tibet and we only want what is best for our country, and what is best is giving the people more rights so we can make decisions on our own, and learn from our own mistakes rather than the mistakes of China's distraught government.
 * __Human Rights-__**

__**Global Interdependence-**__ China has made great economic progress in the past few years and has integreated itself well into the world economy. They now have one of the best economies in the world. But how far are we willing to go in order to remain at the top? Is it worth oppressing your own people? Cutting ties with other nations whose power rivals that of our own? China needs to realize that, in a world where one can post a message around in the world in milliseconds, alliances with other nations are needed more than ever. Especially when economic crisis is effecting many. We need to learn to appreciate everyone for what they have and who they are, not what they've done or who they could be. The United States and China were once close, but are now driven apart by the Dalai Lama's meeting with President Obama in Washington. Why? All I seek to do is promote harmony for everyone and guarantee them their rights. Why must we be torn apart by this?

__**Environment (Air and Water Pollution)-**__ The pollution problem in China is honestly getting out of hand and not only is it affecting the country, but the world. Yes, China is passing the U.S.A in industry, but at what cost? The air and water pollution is making Cancer the leading cause of death in China. The Tibetan people believe in preserving the environment and being thankful for what we have around us. Yet, the Chinese people are not aware that their destruction is effecting the Tibetan people. We believe in keeping our environment safe and fresh, but the water pollution that China's industries are causing, are making the water in Tibet almost to the point of being like a poison. There are many rivers whose origins start in Tibet; these rivers flow through China, Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Cambodia, and Laos. So not only is the water pollution effecting China it is also effecting many other parts of Asia. Tibet and I definitely stand strong in the belief that something must be done about the air and water pollution in China. We are deystroying the beautiful Earth that we inhabit and if something is not done about it, then there will be no more Earth to pollute in the near future.

__**Tolerance of Diversity-**__The Dalai Lama, and the rest of the world, believes China needs to FREE TIBET. The Tibetans are peaceful people who only participate in peaceful protests that are harshly shot down by the oppressive Chinese Government. The people of Tibet live under constans suspicion and often fear for their safety with the Chinese soldiers in their villages. The Chinese are just ignorant to other cultures and refuse to understand, no matter how much we plead for them to see our way. All the people of the world express their discontent with the way the government is handling our issues. We just wish the government would provide us with the rights we were born with.

__**Do you intend on promoting the progress of China?**__ No, Tibet certainly does not agree with the so called "progress" that China is making. Mostly because they are deliberatly annihilating the Tibetan culture. Also, I have noticed that China's government seems to be treating nuns and monks like prisoners. Officials are not allowing them to practice their religion and their places of worship are ultimately becoming museums and tourist attractions. As you can see, Tibet is not very happy with the direction that China has been headed in. We are a very spiritual country, if that is not already very apparent, and China's attempt to silence the voices of religious people is so unnecessary and wrong. If you can not at least have beliefs and faith, than what can you have? Tibet is very strong in the belief that China's progression is not for the better.

**What efforts have you taken to interact with China?** There have been nine rounds of peace talks since 2002 in hopes of negotiation, but there have been no results. Zhu Weiqun is vice minister of the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department, handles China's issues with Tibet. He says that the door to more talks will remain open until the Dalai Lama publicly announce s that Tibet want s independence. Tibet does not seek independence, only greater cultural understanding and autonomy. The Chinese government keeps making accusations against his Holiness, myself, calling me a "splittist," or seperatist. They stand firm in their opinions and will not compromise with our peaceful talks and requests that should not need to be requested, but bestowed upon us from the start. **Have you promoted a positive relationship with China?** The Dalai Lama has not promoted a positive relationship with China. China will not give Tibet the freedom it so righteously deserves. The only reason China will not compromise on their views is because they are too ignorant of our culture and refuse to understand. We beileve the people of China deserve to know all the facts, not just what the Chinese government decides to tell them. Until China proves themselves worthy of our positivity, we shall neglect to provide such information on our relationship. We don't want change; we need it.  **__What impact will China have on the next 50 years of world history?-__** Most sources in the west believe that China is on the uprising and by 2030 will be the the main economic center of the world. However, with the way pollution is going, many people that are working towards progress won't be alive in 10 years to continue making progress. The death rate has increased substantially just because air pollution is causing more cases of Cancer than anywhere in the world. So is China's success actually sending them to their downfall? We in Tibet believe so. And if China does not provide Tibet with it's basic rights, it may lose support from many more nations.