President Xi Jinping is back in Beijing from an “inspection tour” of Central and Southern Tibet. He went to Lhasa after a gap of ten years, though he had visited Amdo—one of the three provinces of Tibet and where the Dalai Lama was born and Sikyiong Pempa Tsering originates from—in June this year.
An interesting aspect of the visit is that “unofficial” videos of Xi Jinping at Barkhor Street, being greeted by “cheering” crowds, were leaked a day before the official announcement of Xi’s presence in Tibet.
The purpose of the well-orchestrated leakage was obviously to show the world — and India — that all is stable and well in Tibet. But the videos were too obviously stage-managed to be credible as expressing the Tibetans’ genuine love for Xi Jinping. The other places visited by Xi were strictly restricted and high security could be seen everywhere.
It probably means that all is not too well in Tibet, and all this has serious implications for India.