Tibet was forcibly occupied by the People’s Republic of China from 1950 to 1959. China was under Mongolian sovereignty between 1279 and 1368, at which time Tibet enjoyed a “priest-patron” relationship with Mongolia but was not under Mongolian rule. When China invaded Tibet, the Party stripped the country bare to feed its members and soldiers, who were facing starvation because of China’s man-made famine. Why did China need the treaty? In March 1959, the spiritual and political head of Tibet, the 14th Dalai Lama, had to shift the government of Tibet into exile in India.

Source: The Nation Bangkok May 03, 2018 18:00 UTC