Bhutan’s refers to Tibet as Beijing-preferred ‘Xizang,’ sparking pushback
Tibetan advocates say the term advances China’s efforts to erase Tibet’s identity
Bhutan became the latest nation to refer to Tibet as “Xizang,” prompting Tibetan politicians and advocates to urge Bhutan to stop using the term promoted by Beijing that they say contributes to China’s efforts to erase Tibetan identity.
In a March 17 statement, Bhutan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade used the term “Xizang” to refer to the Tibet Autonomous Region, a Chinese government-designed administrative region that makes up only part of the larger region that Tibetans refer to as “Greater Tibet.”
Bhutan’s statement — which pertained to a two-day cultural performance by Tibetan artists on March 18-19 at the Royal Institute of Management in Bhutan’s capital Thimphu — also referred to the Tibetan performers as a “Chinese cultural troupe” and the performance itself as a “Chinese cultural performance.”
Tibetan leaders and activists say such language all serves to advance Beijing’s wider campaign to erase Tibet’s historical and cultural identity. In 2023, China formally adopted the term in all its official documents to refer to Tibet.
China’s government policy in Tibet is simply “cultural genocide,” said Lobsang Yangtso, coordinator of Tibet Advocacy Alliance - India.
“As a country committed to democracy and the rule of law, the Bhutanese government’s language choices have significant implications, and using the term ‘Xizang’ exacerbates China’s cultural genocide,” he said.
On March 25, Tibetan activists, including Yangtso, delivered a letter of appeal at the Bhutanese Embassy in New Delhi, India. The letter was addressed to Bhutan’s Foreign Minister Lyonpo D.N. Dhungyel and signed by a coalition of 144 Tibet support organizations.
Tibet’s government-in-exile, the Central Tibetan Administration, in Dharamsala, India, also pushed back.
“Friendly expressions of cultural performances marked the beginning of the Chinese invasion of Tibet and I see similar patterns playing out in Bhutan,” said CTA Spokesperson Tenzin Lekshay. “It must remain cautious and we would like to request the government to refrain from using terms like Xizang.”
The Bhutanese government did not immediately respond to Radio Free Asia’s request for a response.
Spreading usage
The usage of the “Xizang” has gradually seeped into international media reports, statements from several governments and even at museums.
Nepal, Pakistan, and Vietnam have all issued official statements in the recent past using the Chinese-promoted term.
“Whether it is due to an oversight or a formal policy decision, the appearance of the term ‘Xizang’ for ‘Tibet’ in an official statement… is worrisome,” said Bhuchung Tsering, head of the Research & Monitoring Unit at the Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet.
“If it is an oversight, then it needs correction,” Tsering said. “But if it is a policy decision, Bhutan is then becoming a prey to the Chinese Government’s political agenda for whatever gain that it might have been promised.”
Meanwhile, several museums, including Musée Guimet and Musée du quai Branly in France and the British Museum in the UK, have also drawn criticism for removing the name Tibet in their exhibits for Tibetan artifacts.
“The Chinese Communist Party has long understood the importance of names,” Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, told Radio Free Asia.
“By controlling verbiage, you can shift a narrative,” he said. “It’s part of the party’s broader pursuit of discourse power and one of its tools to justify its political oppression in places like Tibet.”
“For all these reasons, Bhutan’s use of ‘Xizang’ is troubling,” he said.added.
China’s growing regional influence
Bhutan’s latest move suggests it is increasingly coming under Chinese influence at a time when Beijing is looking to expand its influence in South Asia, analysts said.
“China attaches great importance to developing good-neighborly and friendly relations with Bhutan and is willing to work together to sustain traditional friendship, enhance exchanges and cooperation, and better benefit the peoples of both countries,” Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong said at the cultural event in Bhutan.
Experts also believe Bhutan’s adoption of the term suggests the nation will likely make more concessions in the future to appease its more powerful neighbor.
“It shows that China’s role and profile in Bhutan is increasing to an extent where Bhutan’s ability to resist Chinese advance is getting increasingly weakened,” said Harsh V. Pant, vice president of studies and foreign policy at New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation.
“In some ways, it shows the growing profile of China in India’s periphery and this is something that India should be concerned about,” said Pant, who is also a professor of international relations at King’s College London.
Border negotiations
Bhutan and India both have border disputes with China, and are currently engaged in ongoing border negotiations amid China’s construction of hundreds of “border villages.”
These villages serve both civilian and military purposes. They secure the border, contain some military infrastructure and allow for the resettlement of more Han Chinese, which changes the region’s demographic makeup.
A 2023 report by U.K.-based Chatham House showed China had continued its “unsanctioned programme of settlement construction” across the contested border in the north of Bhutan.
“Bhutan agreeing to Chinese demands on a range of issues is only going to grow from here,” Pant said.
At the cultural event in Thimphu, Sonam Wangyel, secretary of Bhutan’s Ministry of Home Affairs, said the event serves as a “cultural bridge and bond of friendship” between Bhutan and China, and that Bhutan looks forward to “broader cultural exchanges and stronger ties of friendship” between the two nations.
Tibetans, however, expressed hope and confidence that Bhutan’s government will address the issue in a manner that takes into account the religious, cultural and historical ties they share with the Bhutanese people, most of whom are also Buddhist.
“The Bhutanese people have a lengthy geographical, historical, spiritual, and social relationship with Tibet and the Tibetan people,” Tsering said. “I believe the Bhutanese Government can have principled engagement with China that does not affect its historical relationship with the Tibetan people.”
In the March 25-dated letter by rights groups, activists wrote, “We respectfully call on the Bhutanese government to rectify its use of ‘Xizang,’ revert to the accurate name, Tibet, and halt any further use of ‘Xizang’ in all communications.”
“This would demonstrate respect for the historical and cultural ties between Bhutan and Tibet, and uphold the importance of preserving Tibet’s unique identity.”
Additional reporting by Tenzin Norzom and Dorjee Dolma. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
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