The six decades since China sent troops into Tibet in 1950 have been marked by periods of unrest and sporadic uprisings against Beijing’s rule.
While China says it has an historic and cultural claim to the territory, Tibet’s cause has been championed by many in the West.
Here, two leading academics analyse both sides of the dispute. Dr Steve Tsang specialises in Modern Chinese Studies at St Antony’s College, Oxford. Andrew Fischer is an expert in Tibet at the Development Studies Institute, at the London School of Economics.