The Chinese Communist party’s preoccupation with its leadership transition, expected to be made final next fall when Xi Jinping becomes general secretary, should not dissuade the U.S. from making a “strong intervention at the highest level” regarding Tibet, according to Lodi Gyari, who spoke yesterday at the Council on Foreign Relations.  

Despite their renowned belligerence on Tibet, China’s Communists are “the most rational people” when confronted with a serious initiative, according to Mr. Gyari, who has been the special envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama since 1982.  Mr. Gyari made his remarks in the context of the ongoing unrest and self-immolations – about three dozen over the past year—in Tibet, and in the context of the Chinese Communist party’s response, which includes harsh new restrictions on religion and monasteries.