[seanmcdirmid]

The Tibetan Empire used to control large parts of Xinjiang and western China, but you don't see the Dalai Lama making any claims :).

There are very valid reasons for China wanting that territory in their country (security, resources, etc...) and its not like the west + Russia were playing a "Great Game" there just a century ago. China gets the territory because they took it and were able to hold it, plain and simple, it doesn't need a flaky moralistic reason.

[notahacker]

> The Tibetan Empire used to control large parts of Xinjiang and western China, but you don't see the Dalai Lama making any claims :)

Many Tibetan exiles are rather fond of "minority in our own homeland" claims which are true only if you define the homeland as covering areas not ruled over by Tibetans for centuries though :)

[ZanyProgrammer]

"There are very valid reasons for China wanting that territory in their country" Or so the Chinese say. One person's security buffer is another person's colonization.

[seanmcdirmid]

Right, but it makes sense for them, even if it doesn't necessarily make sense for whoever was there before. This is repeated time and time again, none of the major powers have very clean hands, mandated self determination is a pipe dream.

[jwhitlark]

"If you lack the ability to inflict agony and death, you will forever be at the mercy of those who do not." Or "Power without morality is an abomination. Morality without power is worthless."

[seanmcdirmid]

To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a regime that live up to such lofty standards. Ok, maybe the Swiss.