BBC has carried a report on a former high Chinese official, Xiao Wunan, who is a practicing Tibetan Buddhist, which includes footage of his prayer room in Beijing and his views about how Tibetan Buddhism has positively impacted his life, and his meeting with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India, in 2012. We are providing a link to the story here as it is yet another indication of how Tibetan Buddhism can be a positive factor in bringing the Chinese and the Tibetan people closer.
Activities of individuals like Xiao Wunan who claim connection to the Chinese leadership might be an indication of an increasing view in Beijing on approaching the issue of the Dalai Lama and Tibet. However, Xiao Wunan’s organization, Asia Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation, was founded to promote China’s “public diplomacy” and so his outreach to the Dalai Lama can also be viewed from this perspective. To date we have not seen any positive on-the-ground changes in Tibet in recent years.