Tibet Civil Societies Recommend Switzerland to Re-Think on ‘One-China’ Policy and the Belt and Road Initiative

Geneva: The Vice-President of Tibetan Community in Switzerland and Liechtenstein Phuntsok Chokchampa and the President of Swiss-Tibetan Friendship Society Thomas Büchli participated in the local civil societies’ meeting called by Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) on August 14, 2020, to discuss Switzerland’s China Strategy 2021-2024.
The participating civil societies were invited to contribute to the development of the China 2021-2024 strategy. Phuntshok Chokchampa and Thomas Büchli used the platform to present the Swiss FDFA representative, Ambassador Rafael Nägeli, with a 30-page report titled “China’s Violations of Universal Values: Lessons for the Future.” The report details the egregious human rights violations being carried out in Tibet under the illegal occupation by Chini, the difference of normative values between Switzerland and China, and the Sino-Swiss bilateral and multilateral relations over issues of human rights. To read the report, please click here.
The report further recommended on how Switzerland could position itself towards China in the coming future and “to learn from those affected in order to avert future damage to Switzerland and the Swiss population.” While submitting the 30-page report, Phuntsok Chokchampa and Thomas Büchli highlighted the concerning situations in Tibet, East Turkestan (CHN: Xinjiang), Hong Kong, and other regions under China. Representative Chhimey Rigzen from the Tibet Bureau, Geneva commended the work of Tibetan Community of Switzerland and Lichtenstein and the Swiss-Tibetan Friendship Association and noted that “Switzerland’s direct democracy provides this important opportunity for the civil societies to put forth their apprehensions directly to the federal government which is in stark contrast to the repression in Tibet under China. We commend the organizations for taking this opportunity and relaying the concerns of six million Tibetans to the Swiss federal government. China’s expansionist agenda at the cost of millions of lives is a global concern and we all should take necessary actions for the preservation of peace, security, and stability not just in Asia but across the world.”







