Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy
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The Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People provides a framework for the governance of Tibet within the People's Republic of China (PRC). In 2008 a group led by the Dalai Lama presented the memorandum to China.[1][2] Beijing invited Dalai Lama's delegation to talk about his middle path, which promoted autonomy rather than full independence.[3] Beijing rejected the proposal vehemently, claiming that it was as good as giving independence to Tibet.[3] Following the presentation of the Memorandum, talks between China and Dalai Lama's envoys that had started in 2002 broke down.[4] The last communication was in January 2010.[4]
One of the first descriptions of the proposal by the Dalai Lama was in Strasbourg in 1988[5] at the European Parliament.[5][6] In 1996, in London, he again talked about the concept.[7] The following year saw the Tibetan Government-in-Exile adopting the proposal.[7] In 2006 the TGIE came out with an updated version. However, the 2008 memorandum went further than all these version in terms of the autonomy it was seeking.[7]
Talks between China and Tibetans around the world, led by Dalai Lama, began in 2002.[8] In 2008, China accepted talks as a form of damage control in response to protests in Tibet that took place shortly before the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[9] During the seventh round on 1 and 2 July 2008, China asked the Tibetan delegation for an explanation with respect to "genuine autonomy".[8] The Tibetan delegation presented the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy on 4 and 5 November 2008 during the eighth round of talks.[10]