Tibet groups urge Rachel Reeves to raise Tibet with China
The UK Chancellor is travelling to China to revive economic ties between the two countries
Tibetans and Tibet groups today urged UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves to use her visit to China to raise human rights in Tibet, and “ensure that trade and access to Chinese markets do not take precedence over the rights of the Tibetan people.”
The Chancellor is due to travel to China and hold meetings with Chinese officials on 11 January. Among those she will meet are Vice-Premier He Lifeng. The visit is framed as a reset in economic ties between the two nations and follows a trip by Foreign Secretary David Lammy in October 2024.
In an open letter UK-based Tibetans and Tibet groups voiced concerns about the visit, stating it comes at a “historic low point for human rights in Tibet”, which has seen Beijing’s destructive policies in Tibet intensify. These include unchecked mega development projects, such as minings and hydropower dams, and policies that are “eradicating Tibetans’ traditional way of life” and have been criticised by United Nations human rights experts.
The visit also comes days after an earthquake devastated Tibet, causing at least 126 deaths and destroying thousands of homes. In the letter, Tibetans and Tibet groups warned that China’s restrictions on access and aid to Tibet risk causing further harm.
Despite these concerns, the groups behind the letter also wrote that the meeting is a “critical opportunity to speak out on Tibet and challenge China over its human rights abuses”. Rather than making a binary choice between trade and human rights, they added that the UK should “develop a holistic China policy that does not abandon human rights, nor trade with China, but ties them together and puts the UK on equal terms with Beijing”, setting “an example for other governments to follow.”
The UK government is currently carrying out an audit of relations with China as part of a promise in its manifesto for the 2024 election. Free Tibet has sent recommendations to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on how it could better support Tibet.
The full letter can be read here.
