Tibetologist refutes claim concerning 'forced language use' in Tibet

BEIJING -- It is a falsehood to assert that "Tibet is forced to use the standard Chinese language," and the plot to slander China by distorting facts and fabricating the lie is doomed to fail, a Chinese Tibetologist said.

According to Liang Junyan, a researcher with the China Tibetology Research Center, the use of the standard spoken and written Chinese language by China's 56 ethnic groups is not only a responsibility and obligation outlined by the Constitution and laws but also a concrete manifestation of the people's love for their motherland.

It is also a necessary path to promote ethnic equality, unity and shared prosperity and development, Liang wrote in an article recently published in the Global Times.

It is stipulated by law that the right of ethnic minorities to learn and use their own ethnic languages and scripts must be fully respected and protected, the Tibetologist said, adding that in ethnic autonomous regions and areas where ethnic minorities live in compact communities, both the standard Chinese language and the local ethnic minority languages can be used.

Liang said that the Tibetan language is widely used in areas such as legal services, healthcare, postal services, communication, transportation, finance and technology.

The region now has 16 periodicals and 12 newspapers in the Tibetan language and has published more than 40 million copies of 7,185 Tibetan-language books.

The Tibetologist emphasized that enhancing proficiency in the standard Chinese language is essential for the development of various initiatives in Tibet, which, in turn, will empower Tibetan individuals by providing them with greater employment and income prospects.

"By fabricating the lie and opposing the use of the standard Chinese language with the inheritance of Tibetan language, the Dalai clique and some Western governments intend to make Tibet return to a society under theocratic feudal serfdom," Liang wrote.