A Distinct and Ancient Nation

So one may sum up this brief history by saying that Tibet is a distinct and ancient nation, which for many centuries enjoyed a relationship of mutual respect with China. It is true that there were time when China was strong and Tibet was weak, and China invaded Tibet. Similarly, looking farther back into history, there were times when Tibet invaded China. There is no basis whatever in history for the Chinese claim that Tibet was part of China. From 1012 until the fateful year of 1950, Tibet enjoyed complete de facto independence of any other nation, and our legal status is now exactly the same as it was in 1912. That status has been analyzed in the utmost detail in recent years by the International Commission of Jurists, and rather than express my own opinion of it, I will quote the conclusion which that body of distinguished and impartial experts submitted to the United Nations and published in their report on The Question of Tibet and the Rule of Law in 1959:

Tibet’s position on the expulsion of the Chinese in 1912 can fairly be described as one of de facto independence and there are, as explained, strong legal grounds for thinking that any form of legal subservience to China had vanished. It is therefore, submitted that the events of 1911-12 mark the reemergence of Tibet as a fully sovereign state, independent in fact and in law of Chinese control.

My Land and My People; Memoirs of HH the Dalai Lama of Tibet, HH the Dalai Lama