Bilateral relations between Switzerland and Tibet

Tibet is a region of the People’s Republic of China with an Autonomy Statute for the Tibetan population. In administrative terms Tibet is a province. As part of a state, it enjoys no sovereignty under international law. Switzerland therefore maintains no direct official contacts with the local Tibetan authorities.

In accordance with its humanitarian tradition, Switzerland has accepted a large number of Tibetan refugees since the 1950s. They and their descendants now constitute the second-largest Tibetan community outside Asia. Their strong presence in Switzerland and successful integration into Swiss political life have prompted Switzerland to take a great interest in the situation in those areas of China populated by Tibetans. It focuses particularly on social, economic, cultural, religious and human-rights topics. The subject of Tibet is regularly discussed as part of the human-rights dialogue that Switzerland and China have been conducting since 1991. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Buddhist Tibetan community, has visited Switzerland on a number of occasions. In order to improve human rights in Tibet and ultimately to help bring about a lasting and peaceful solution of the Tibetan question, dialogue with the Tibetan community is essential.