From globeandmail.com (link):
From around 1949, Tibet witnessed a series of unprecedented events, marking the beginning of a new era in its history. As stated in documents, the issue of Tibet was purportedly decided in 1951 through an agreement between the central and local governments, taking into consideration the special status of Tibet and the prevailing reality.
Since then, I have made every possible effort to secure implementation of the policy to allow self-rule and genuine autonomy to Tibetans within the framework of the People’s Republic of China, thus helping to create conditions for our people to co-exist in harmony and unity as a member of the big family of the Chinese nation.
In 1954-55, I visited Beijing as a representative of the Tibetan people. I took the opportunity of that visit to discuss the future of the Tibetan people with chairman Mao Zedong and senior leaders of the Communist Party, government and military. These discussions gave me a lot of hope and reassurances. So I returned to Tibet with optimism and confidence.