Chinese Concern Over Tibetan Studies Seminar in Kathmandu Raises Questions of Academic Freedom
Jun Hao 
Credit : phayul
Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Zhang Maoming has expressed concern over a major international academic conference on Tibetan studies planned for Kathmandu. The 17th Seminar of the International Association for Tibetan Studies (IATS) is scheduled to take place from 23 to 29 August 2026.
During a meeting with Nepal’s Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai, the ambassador conveyed Beijing’s worry that the event could become a platform for politically sensitive discussions, especially those related to Tibet and the Dalai Lama. He asked Nepali authorities to ensure the seminar remains purely academic.
Organizers of the conference strongly rejected any suggestion of a political agenda. Professor Sagar Sharma of Kathmandu University told The Kathmandu Post that the seminar is not a pro-Dalai Lama event. He noted that many Chinese professors and scholars will also attend, and that the Chinese Embassy and Nepali government agencies have been informed. The week-long gathering is expected to bring together hundreds of researchers from nearly 40 countries.
The seminar is jointly hosted by the Himalaya Centre for Asian Studies at Kathmandu University and the Kathmandu University Centre for Buddhist Studies at Rangjung Yeshe Institute. The International Association for Tibetan Studies, founded at the University of Oxford in 1979, is a non-political scholarly body. It focuses on Tibetan history, language, religion, philosophy, literature, art and culture. Its seminars, held every three years, are considered the leading global forum for academic research on Tibet.
This is not the first time Beijing has shown sensitivity toward Tibetan-related activities in Nepal. Earlier this month, the Nepali government allowed Tibetan refugees to publicly celebrate the Dalai Lama’s 91st birthday an event that has often faced restrictions in the past. Such developments appear to have increased China’s watchfulness.
Nepal and Tibet share deep historical and cultural ties that stretch back many centuries. In ancient times, Nepal served as an important pathway for the spread of Buddhism from India into Tibet. Tibetan Buddhism itself grew through close exchanges with scholars and teachers from the Kathmandu Valley. Trade routes across the Himalayas connected the two regions for generations, allowing the movement of goods, ideas and religious practices. Treaties in the 18th and 19th centuries further formalized relations between Nepal and Tibet. These historical links explain why many Nepalis feel a natural cultural connection to Tibetan traditions and Buddhist heritage.
From Beijing’s perspective, any international discussion of Tibet carries political risk. China regards Tibet as an internal matter and is highly sensitive to gatherings that might highlight Tibetan identity, religion or the Dalai Lama. Tibetan Buddhism, with its strong cultural and spiritual influence across the Himalayas, is seen by Chinese authorities as a potential source of soft-power influence that could challenge official narratives. Nepal’s location as a neighbour and its large Tibetan refugee population make Kathmandu a place of particular interest to Beijing.
The organizers insist the conference is strictly academic. They point out that Chinese scholars are participating and that the event follows the same scholarly standards used in previous IATS seminars around the world. For many observers, the episode highlights a larger tension: how governments balance diplomatic pressure with the principle of academic freedom.
As the August seminar approaches, Nepal faces a familiar challenge. It must manage relations with a powerful neighbour while protecting space for independent scholarship. The coming weeks will show whether the conference can proceed as a pure academic exchange or whether political concerns will continue to overshadow it.
The story of this seminar is therefore not only about one academic meeting. It reflects the long and complex relationship between Nepal, Tibet and China — a relationship shaped by shared history, religion and geography, yet increasingly influenced by modern politics.
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Karma Ngawang 
