Tibetan borders closed to foreigners, or are they?

 

 
Double Speak?

According to the some sources this confusion may have arisen after local travel agencies received a notice from regional authorities telling them to prepare for increased visa requests during the National Day holiday, but mistaking a 'plain language' note advising them to take care not to overbook tours for a coded instruction forbidding them from allowing foreigners across the border until after national day.


The Truth?

Although it is not yet clear what the situation is, China watchers have concluded that it is plausible that travel agencies - used to receiving coded diktats to "adjust" arrangements for foreign travelers in order to prevent them from seeing anything that may embarrass Beijing - could have misunderstood a perfectly innocent communique telling them to avoid overbooking. However, they have also concluded that it is equally plausible that one part of Beijing's bureaucracy could have ordered the borders to close without informing another part of the bureaucracy, or without obtaining the proper clearance from the relevant elements of the leadership. Thus creating an aparent paradox that has required fast back peddling on behalf of the Mainland government.

China watchers have also stated that it is not inconceivable that Beijing may have deliberately distributed misleading or incorrect information to some travel agencies, ordering them to cease visa issuances to foreigners over national day, while allowing other agencies to continue issuing them. In order to significantly restrict the number of tourists in the region who may witness anti-government protests, while still being able to say that the borders are open as usually, and that anything apparently to the contrary is a simple misunderstanding.

Border?

Although Beijing states that it maintains that Tibet is an integral part of greater China, foreign travelers must obtain a separate visa if they wish to cross the Sino-Tibetan border. This comes above and beyond papers required to enter Mainland China, and it allows only for limited travel within Tibet. Mostly only to Lhasa and the surrounding area. Independent travel is forbidden, and entry must either be made via a pre approved tour group or with special permission from a host company or official on the Tibetan side of the border.

China watchers have compared this situation to foreign national requiring a visa from Washington to enter an Indian reservation, even though they already have sufficient paperwork to enter the US proper.

A similar system is maintained for Hong Kong and Macao. Although Beijing Maintains tat they are integral parts of Greater China foreign national require separate travel papers to cross the Sino-hong Kong border. Ironically, while foreign nationals can easily enter Hong Kong and Macau, and can travel freely once across the border, Mainland Chinese face restrictions from both Mainland and Hong Kong authorities. Only suitable Mainlanders are issued with travel papers, and both the Hong Kong authorities and Beijing work to ensure that they leave once their visa is up.

Equally, china watchers have compared this to US citizens requiring a visa to enter California, and the Washington enforcing their return once their visa is up.

National Day?

National Day marks the founding of the People's Republic of China by Mao Zedong on 1 October 1949. It is officially celebrated in Tibet, even though it was a sovereign state at the time, and did not come under Mainland rule until May 1951. More than 2 years later. National day is also commemorated in Hong Kong and Macao, through they did not fall under PRC administration until 1997.