The Dalai Lama’s campaign for Tibet to be granted “genuine auto­nomy” within China has reached a turning point. For the past six years, representatives of Tibet’s spirit­ual leader have been engaged in talks with the Chinese government, hoping Beijing will recognise the Tibetans’ distinct culture, language and identity within the People’s Republic. But despite hopes this year that China might relax its stance, those talks have broken down.

China refuses to enter into any discussion about Tibet’s status within the PRC, accusing the Dalai Lama of covertly seeking full-blown separation. The Dalai Lama has, in turn, expressed disappointment with this hardline stance, warning that Beijing’s wish to strike an accord is “thinning, thinning, thinning”. As a result, hundreds of Tibetans from communities around the world have this week gathered for an unprecedented meeting in the Indian hill town of Dharamsala. They are discussing what course the Tibetan movement should take next.