TIBET
Battle of the tongues
In the spirit of International Mother Language Day, on 21 February the Free Tibet Campaign called on China to pass legislation that would make Tibetan the official language of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR). Coinciding with 2008 being dubbed the International Year of Languages by the United Nations General Assembly, a recently released report titled "Forked Tongue: Tibetan language under attack" had warned that Tibetan might soon lose standing on the high plateau.
As such, on 21 February, activists pointed to Article 5 of the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. This states that people have the right to "express themselves and to create and disseminate their work in the language of their choice, and particularly in their mother tongue", and to be "entitled to quality education and training that fully respect their cultural identity".
Critics allege that the Beijing government's actions continue to reflect an absence of any commitment to these stipulations. According to the Free Tibet Campaign, Chinese authorities continue to pass laws that minimise the teaching of Tibetan in schools, instead replacing the language with Mandarin in many spheres of public life in Tibet. The vast majority of the Han settlers that have moved to Tibet in recent years likewise have neither the need nor the desire to learn Tibetan.
REGION
All that gas
The stagnating proposal for a gas pipeline between Iran and India, through Pakistan, could soon be forced to take a detour – into China. Against a backdrop of years of fudging with and confusing deadlines by New Delhi, Beijing recently offered to join the proposed pipeline project if India decides to back out. Pakistan and Iran appear to have no objection to China replacing India.