I respectfully disagree. Tibet has been part of China since before the white man came to North America. It is not under occupation, though I do understand some ethnic Tibetans (like some ethnic Basques in Spain, ethnic Corsicans in France, ethnic Tamils in Sri Lanka or ethnic Pathans in Pakistan) think it is, as does Richard Gere. And whatever India and the US say about the subject, their views are not to be taken at face value, there are other geopolitical and self-interest reasons for their respective views, and in the case of the former, this includes a territorial dispute which very arguably should go the way of the PRC.

In fact, that the country exists as an entity with national aspirations has far more to do with British colonialism of the 19th century, which is why your ascribing some sort of colonialist agenda to my statement here is somewhat ironic in my view. Especially since, if I understand things correctly, you are writing from India, which has taken up the same geopolitically interested position today as did India of  the British Raj of yesterday...and I don't think I have to go over what China's experience with British colonialism actually was; this was but one aspect of it, but the history is sordid, very very sordid, and goes far to explain properly nationalist views in China in this regard (and again, to reiterate, I'm not Chinese).

As for the rest of it, and again I respectfully disagree. In my view progress by definition moves forward. The 1949 revolution did this, in the long view of history. Countries without radio, television, an absolutist king, et c., until this decade (like Bhutan) do not. Again, this "national happiness" stuff look great on paper but I want to see poverty reduction and moving the ball forward for all of us, and the PRC is delivering.

Quite frankly I don't buy the fact that there are  Tibetan national aspirations, felt by a groundswell of Tibetans, any more than I buy that there are Cubans in Cuba who think that the Cubans in Miami should just show up tomorrow in Havana, take over everything and run the country, or that if you poll Corsicans they actually want autonomy (which, by the way, we tried...and they didn't..some would say quite convincingly that this was unfortunate).

Of course I am willing to be proven wrong but until I see a poll of all Tibetans (including Han who live in Tibet) who want independance, autonomy or some other, I'm having a hard time with this.

Again, respectfully and fully understanding this is an unpopular view around here.

The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet. Winston Churchill