By Khedroob Thondup

For more than six decades, Beijing has clung to Tibet with a grip that is both suffocating and self-defeating. Six million Tibetans live under policies of suppression, surveillance, and cultural erasure. Yet when one strips away the rhetoric of “national unity” and “territorial integrity,” the question becomes painfully clear: what has China truly gained by holding Tibet? The answer, in truth, is very little—while the costs have been immense.

 Illusion of Strategic Value. Geopolitical buffer: Tibet is often described as China’s shield against India. But modern warfare and diplomacy have rendered such buffers obsolete. Satellites, missiles, and cyber capabilities make mountains less decisive than they once were.Water resources: Tibet’s rivers are indeed vital, but damming them has sparked tensions with downstream nations. Instead of securing stability, China has ...