Padma Choling
པདྨ་འཕྲིན་ལས་
白玛赤林
Padma Choling at the 2010 National People's Congress
Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
In office
17 March 2018 – 10 March 2023
ChairmanLi Zhanshu
Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress
In office
29 January 2013 – 15 January 2017
Preceded byQiangba Puncog
Succeeded byLosang Jamcan
Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region
In office
15 January 2010 – 29 January 2013
Party SecretaryZhang Qingli
Chen Quanguo
Preceded byQiangba Puncog
Succeeded byLosang Jamcan
Vice Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region
In office
2003 – 15 January 2010
Preceded byGyamco
Succeeded byLosang Jamcan
Personal details
BornOctober 1952 (1952-10) (age 71)
Qamdo, Tibet, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party
Alma materCentral Party School
OccupationPolitician
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese白玛赤林
Traditional Chinese白瑪赤林
Tibetan name
Tibetanཔདྨ་འཕྲིན་ལས་

Padma Choling (Tibetan: པདྨ་འཕྲིན་ལས་, Lhasa dialect: [pɛ́mɑ̀ ʈʰĩ́lɪ᷈ː]; alternatively Pema Thinley, Pelma Chiley, Baima Chilin;[1] Chinese: 白玛赤林; born October 1952) is a Chinese retired politician of Tibetan ethnicity. He was the eighth chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), but in January 2013, was replaced by his deputy Losang Jamcan.[2] Later he served as the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress. As Chairman of TAR, Choling was the "most senior ethnic Tibetan in the regional government",[3] though he was subordinate to the TAR Communist Party Chief Zhang Qingli, and later his successor Chen Quanguo.[1]

Biography

Padma Choling was born in 1952 in a farming family in Dêngqên County, Chamdo Prefecture.[4] He joined the People's Liberation Army in Qinghai Province at 17, and served in the army for seventeen years. In the army he played basketball and mastered the Chinese language. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in October 1970. He was an official in the Tibetan regional government since December 1969,[5] working in Xigaze and then Lhasa, rising to the vice-chairmanship of the TAR in 2003.[4] After his anodyne handling of an earthquake in Damxung County outside Lhasa, he was elected the chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region in 2010.[6]

On 7 December 2020, pursuant to Executive Order 13936 signed by President Donald J. Trump Choling, being a vice chairperson of the NPC was sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury. Every other Vice Chairperson of the National People's Congress were sanctioned as well, for "undermining Hong Kong's autonomy and restricting the freedom of expression or assembly."[7]

Chairmanship

Personally, he has been described as "stern, but... amiable" in contrast to his "soft-spoken" predecessor Qiangba Puncog.[6] In addition to stability and ethnic harmony, he has set a goal of 12 percent GDP growth and a ¥4,000 per capita GDP for farmers and herders in the Tibet Autonomous Region.[8] To bring this about, he has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Commerce of the Central Government to allow it to promote trade with South Asia, including Nepal.[9] Padma is of the opinion that there is no "issue of Tibet" that the Dalai Lama says, and questions the Lama's ability to judge the situation in Tibet since he has not been in Tibet since 1959.[10]

On the issue of religion, Padma has said that he and the Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje are "mates from the same hometown".[3] At the 2010 National People's Congress, he announced that the choosing of the 15th Dalai Lama would abide by the "requirements of Tibetan Buddhist tradition", including approval by the government, instead of being the choice of the 14th Dalai Lama. Already, he has dismissed the Dalai Lama's choice for the 11th Panchen Lama as "invalid".[11].

Moreover, Pema Thinley, said at a Press Conference that Gedun Choki Nyima - the child recognized by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama - is an ordinary person, and that he and his parents wanted to stay away from public attention for their own safety.[12]

On 17 March 2018, Padma was elected as the Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.[13]

Padma is a member of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.

In July 2022, he was appointed as the president of the China Society for Human Rights Studies.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b Hornby, Lucy; Huang Yan; Blanchard, Ben (15 January 2010). "China chooses former soldier as new Tibet governor". Reuters. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  2. ^ "China appoints new Tibet governor, hardline policies to remain". Reuters. 29 January 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  3. ^ a b Liu, Melinda (5 April 2010). "Beijing's Man in Tibet". Newsweek. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  4. ^ a b Mirenda (14 March 2010). "Feature: Fruits of development shared by every Tibetan". China Tibet Information Center. Retrieved 30 July 2010.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ "Qiangba Puncog and Baima Chilin's brief resumes". China Tibet Information Center. 15 January 2010. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  6. ^ a b Zhou, Yan (15 January 2010). "Tibet parliament session announces leadership changes". Xinhua. Archived from the original on 18 January 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  7. ^ "Hong Kong-related Designations | U.S. Department of the Treasury". home.treasury.gov. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Tibet's new governor promises social stability, unity". The Hindu. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2010.
  9. ^ "MOFCOM and Tibet Signed Agreement of Cooperation in Providing Commercial Development Assistance". MOFCOM. 12 March 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  10. ^ "Lawmakers lash out at Dalai Lama's speech". People's Daily. Xinhua. 11 March 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  11. ^ Wong, Edward (7 March 2010). "No Leeway Given in Picking Dalai Lama". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  12. ^ Official: Dalai-picked 'Panchen' lives normal life
  13. ^ "十三届全国人大一次会议选举产生全国人大常委会副委员长、秘书长". Xinhua. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2018.
  14. ^ Yang, Zekun (19 July 2022). "Human rights organization elects new president". China Daily. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
Assembly seats Preceded byQiangba Puncog President of Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress Standing Committee January 2013 – January 2017 Succeeded byLosang Jamcan Government offices Preceded byQiangba Puncog Chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region People's Government January 2010 – January 2013 Succeeded byLosang Jamcan Preceded byGyamco Executive Vice Chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region People's Government 2006–2010 Succeeded byLosang Jamcan
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