Albanese’s Key Questions for Xi in China Visit
The Australia Tibet Council have the following questions for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese while he is in China meeting with Xi Jinping
Q1: Will Prime Minister Albanese tell Chinese President Xi Jinping that Australia will not accept Chinese Government interference in Tibetan Buddhism or a Chinese-appointed Dalai Lama?
The Chinese Government has laid bare their plans to select and control a future reincarnation of the Dalai Lama via their State Religious Affairs Bureau Order No. 5 which lays out their policy for the ‘management of the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism’. In this policy, they state that the selection of Tibetan Buddhist reincarnated leaders is subject to Chinese Government authority.
On 2 July 2025, the Dalai Lama publicly confirmed that the religious body called the Gaden Phodrang Trust [his personal trust] has sole authority to recognise the future reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and that “no one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter”.
Concern for the future of the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation is high among Tibetans both inside Tibet and in the diaspora, including Tibetans and Buddhist practitioners in Australia.
The interference of China in the leadership of Tibetan Buddhism is a violation of the rights of Tibetans to freely practice their religion. If the Prime Minister believes in freedom of religion then he should raise this while in discussion with Xi Jinping.
The Prime Minister should make it categorically clear to the Chinese Government that Australia will not recognise a future Dalai Lama appointed by China. That Australians support the Dalai Lama and the Australian Government will respect his wishes and the rights of Tibetan people.
Q2: Will Prime Minister Albanese encourage Xi Jinping negotiate with the Dalai Lama to end the China-Tibet conflict?
The 14th Dalai Lama has dedicated his life to obtaining a peaceful resolution to the Sino-Tibet conflict. The Dalai Lama has steadfastly committed himself to a non-violent pathway and to securing a resolution with the Chinese Government through dialogue.
The Prime Minister should urge the Chinese government to re-engage in formal dialogue with representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama or the Central Tibetan Administration.
Meaningful negotiations aimed at a peaceful resolution to the conflict are long overdue. His Holiness has consistently expressed a willingness to engage with Beijing in pursuit of a genuine autonomy for Tibet within the framework of the People’s Republic of China (the Middle Way Approach).
This moderate and pragmatic approach deserves the active support of the international community, including Australia.
The Australian Government should support the Dalai Lama for his commitment to peace and non-violence and should encourage the resolution of the Sino-Tibet conflict via dialogue and peaceful agreement. In his latest book, Voice for the Voiceless the Dalai Lama states the following; “I am approaching my ninetieth year. If no resolution is found while I am alive, the Tibetan people, especially those inside Tibet, will blame the Chinese leadership and the Communist Party for its failure to reach a settlement with me” [page 138]
The Dalai Lama is right — the Chinese Government has never won the hearts and minds of Tibetan people in their 75 years of violent occupation of Tibet. The Chinese Government should not squander the opportunity to take up the Dalai Lama’s offer of peaceful resolution and resume dialogue with the Dalai Lama while there is still an opportunity in his lifetime.
Ending the Sino-Tibet conflict is the responsibility for all world leaders, including Prime Minister Albanese. If the Prime Minister believes that peaceful negotiation is the right way to end long-standing conflicts, such as the China-Tibet conflict, then he should press Xi Jinping to accept the Dalai Lama’s offer of dialogue.
Q3: Will the Prime Minister speak up for Tibet’s stolen children?
The Children of Tibet are being removed from their families in what has been called cultural genocide and what is a modern-day Tibetan Stolen Generation.
The UN and Tibet campaigners worldwide have both sounded the alarm that up to 1 million Tibetan children have been separated from their families and forced into Chinese state-run boarding schools. The forced removal of Tibetan children from their families denies them access to their Tibetan culture, their Tibetan Buddhist religion, and their Tibetan language rights.
This colonialist policy is a remnant of the 19th and 20th centuries and should not be accepted by any country in the 21st century. Australia has an obligation to take the lead on these issues as the Australian Government now recognises our own terrible colonial history of the Stolen Generations as a historical mistake and injustice. Australia must now take action for Tibet’s stolen children and not allow another colonialist cultural genocide to occur in Tibet.
The Prime Minister of Australia should not stand by and let Tibet’s stolen children suffer being removed from their families. The Prime Minister should speak up for Tibet’s children and demand that Chinese President Xi Jinping return Tibetan children to their families and allow them to be raised in Tibetan culture.
Will Prime Minister Albanese care about Human Rights? Will the Prime Minister raise these questions with Xi Jinping while visiting China?