Thirty-eight delegates listed as Tibetan are expected to participate in the upcoming 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, scheduled to begin on October 1, reports the International Campaign for Tibet, an affiliation of organisations promoting human rights, democratic freedoms and self-determination for the Tibetan people.
These Tibetan delegates will constitute around 1.65% of the total 2,296 delegates – this despite the fact that Tibetan territory accounts for more than a quarter of China’s current landmass.
The National Congress is held every five years to set the Chinese Communist Party’s national policy goals and elect its top leadership. Any authority in the decision making process at the Party Congress depends on inclusion in the three higher committees – In the current 19th CCP leadership, two Tibetans, Lobsang Gyaltsen (Chinese: Luosang Jiangcun) and Che Dalha (Qizhala), are full members of the Central Committee, with two others, Yan Jinhai and Norbu Thondup, as alternate members. No Tibetan has been included in the other two committees.
Eighteen of the 38 Tibetan delegates at the Congress are from the Tibet Autonomous Region, including two who are listed as being Monpa and Lhoba, both within the broader Tibetan family, and one named without any ethnic identification. Of these 18, eight are female. Additionally, there are two from what is categorised as central and state organs, four from the People’s Liberation Army and People’s Armed Police and two are from the central financial system. In addition, one delegate is listed as being Tibetan, a female, who is currently Chair of the Fujian Provincial Political Consultative Conference.
The list of Tibetan delegates shows mainly Tibetan names, with some names appearing to be non-Tibetan, reflecting a tradition among some Tibetans, particularly in eastern and northeastern Tibet, to be given such names.
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