Historical Status of China in Tibet

China invaded Tibet in 1950. Its occupation has resulted in thedeaths of hundreds of thousands of Tibetans and the imprisonmentand torture of thousands more. After a failed uprising againstChinese rule in 1959 Tibet's political and spiritual leader theDalai Lama fled into exile in India followed by tens of thousandsof Tibetans. Inside its borders and across the world Tibetans havenever stopped believing Tibet is a nation. Since 1959 they havecontinued to oppose and resist China's rule and China hasresponded with intense repression. From a legal standpoint Tibetto this day has not lost its statehood. It is an independent stateunder illegal occupation. Neither China's military invasion northe continuing occupation by the PLA has transferred thesovereignty of Tibet to China. As pointed out earlier the Chinesegovernment has not claimed to have acquired sovereignty overTibet by conquest. Indeed China recognizes that the use or threatof force (outside the exceptional circumstances provided for in theUN Charter) the imposition of an unequal treaty or the continuedillegal occupation of a country can never grant an invader legaltitle to territory. Its claims are based solely on the alleged subjectionof Tibet to a few of China's strongest foreign rulers in the thirteenthand eighteenth centuries. As the book addresses this crucial issuequite deftly it is hoped that it would prove to be a source of greatinformation for the reader.