Stories
Tibetan Representative Warns Danish Lawmakers Over China Assimilation Law
- •Tibetan representative Tsering Yangkey urged Danish lawmakers to address threats to Tibet's culture from China's Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress.
- •Meetings with Danish parliamentarians highlighted concerns over compulsory Mandarin education, boarding schools for Tibetan children, and cross-border repression.
- •Foreign Policy Committee Chair Karsten Hønge and other MPs supported increased political cooperation and discussed raising the issue through European Union mechanisms.
- •Secretary Tenzin Kunga questioned Denmark's green partnership with China due to ecological concerns regarding large-scale hydropower projects on the Tibetan Plateau.
Key Questions Answered
Tibetan representative Tsering Yangkey urged Danish lawmakers to address the threat China's Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress poses to Tibetan language, religion, and cultural identity. She highlighted issues such as the compulsory use of Mandarin in education, state-imposed national identity, and the placement of young Tibetan children in boarding schools where they risk losing their linguistic and cultural roots.
Article 63 of China's legislation could enable authorities to target individuals abroad who support Tibetan culture, potentially extending Beijing’s repression beyond its borders and posing a threat to Denmark's sovereignty.
Secretary Tenzin Kunga questioned Denmark’s green partnership with China, citing concerns over large-scale hydropower projects on the Tibetan Plateau, their ecological consequences, and their potential effects on downstream countries dependent on these rivers. The delegation also called for greater scrutiny of China’s environmental record and discussed Gross Domestic Regeneration as an alternative economic concept.
