The origins of the 17-point agreement of 23 may 1951 between the Chinese central government and the tibetan local government

Abstract

Immediately following the Battle of Chamdo in October 1950, during the period between November 1950 and April 1951, the leaders of the new People's Republic of China (PRC) had two priorities in regard to Tibet. The first was to persuade the Tibetan government to send delegates to Beijing as soon as poßible in order to start negotiations, and the second was to prevent the Dalai Lama from fleeing Tibet. Using Chinese documents that offer a new version of the proceß that led to these negotiations, this study, without addreßing the international ißues in detail, illustrates how the leaders of the PRC, either with promises, threats or even by bluff, were able to attain their goals.