Envoys from the Tibetan government in exile arrived in China on Tuesday for open-ended talks, a week after Chinese authorities laid out a new policy approach that for the first time includes all Tibetan regions.
China's fifth work conference on Tibet includes all Tibetan regions under the same policy umbrella and will set targets for accelerated development and better social services.
The new integrated framework and relatively relaxed rhetoric before the envoys' visit may stem from a policy review triggered by demonstrations in nearly every town across the Tibetan plateau in March 2008, the extent of which surprised Beijing.
If successful, the talks and the new policy could signal a mild thaw in Beijing's relations with Tibetans, an ethnically, religiously and linguistically distinct people who often chafe under Chinese rule. They could also provide a model for relations with Muslim Uighurs, who rioted in western Xinjiang last summer.
"You can't say there will be a deal, but you can say a better understanding," said Khedroob Thondup, a member of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile.
Beijing may also hope to ease tensions ahead of an expected meeting between US president Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama, who China blames for the 2008 demonstrations.
Senior Chinese leaders pledged to "leap-frog" development of Tibet by improving infrastructure and lifting rural incomes to national levels by 2020, helping to address resentment by Tibetans left behind by China's economic boom.
"This time we are really focusing on improving livelihood, whereas previous policies were mostly concerned with industry and infrastructure," said Luorong Zhandui, a specialist in development economics at the China Tibetology Research Center.
"Without human capacity, Tibet will always fall behind and need others to take care of it," said Luorong, who did not attend the forum but advised the government to include all Tibetan areas in its policy deliberations.
Taxes from Chinese firms operating in Tibetan areas will also flow to local governments, rather than to headquarters elsewhere in China, and the centre will help fund better health and education in all Tibetan areas, Luorong said.
