Support of the European Parliament: Impact on Tibetan Claims to Self-Determination

Abstract Taking document analysis as its method, this article examines the impact of the European Parliament's (EP) support for the international recognition of Tibetan claims to self-determination. Conceding to various national and international pressures, the Tibetans have switched their demand from independence to autonomy. The EP has supported this demand and urged the Chinese government to recognize self-determination through autonomy and self-government. Against this background, this article examines - What is the impact of the EP’s support on the international recognition of the Tibetans’ right to self-determination? It argues that the EP’s support has further obstructed the recognition of the Tibetans’ self-determination. Interpreting the EP’s support as a violation of sovereign norms, the Chinese state has concentrated its efforts to prevent international support for Tibetan nationalism, and the EU is finding it difficult to contest the Chinese efforts due to its economic and strategic interests. It has not stood by its own parliament’s endorsement of self-determination through autonomy, nor has it made Tibetan nationalism a part of its human rights agenda. It has begun to adopt a universal human rights approach that does not address nationalist claims and prepares a permissive international environment for the Chinese government to ignore nationalist demands.