National Endowment for Democracy 144d ago

Across Tibet, the CCP is waging a sustained campaign of cultural and religious erasure—seeking to control belief, silence identity, and rewrite history itself to legitimize repression. On January 29, 2026, the National Endowment for Democracy hosted the launch of Professor Hon-Shiang Lau’s landmark book, “Tibet Was Never Part of China Since Antiquity,” published by Optimum Publishing International. Drawing exclusively on Chinese primary sources, Dr. Lau’s book offers a comprehensive historical account of Tibetan history, dismantling the CCP’s core assertion underpinning Beijing’s claim that Tibet has been a part of China since “ancient times.” Featuring remarks from Sikyong Penpa Tsering, Professor Lau, and former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, and moderated by Josh Rogin of The Washington Post, the panel examined the CCP’s efforts to recast Tibetan history and the broader implications for religious freedom, self-determination, and democratic values. Speakers: 00:12 Pema Tulotsang — Senior Manager, National Endowment for Democracy 04:15 Damon Wilson — President and CEO, National Endowment for Democracy 10:48 Amb. Sam Brownback — Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom 16:10 Josh Rogin — Columnist, The Washington Post 20:32 Prof. Hon-Shi­ang Lau — Formerly of the City University of Hong Kong 25:45 Sikyong Penpa Tsering — President, Central Tibetan Administration 33:32 Amb. Sam Brownback — Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and NED Board Member 38:19 Bhuchung K. Tsering — Head, Research & Monitoring Unit, International Campaign for Tibet 59:44 Dean Baxendale — CEO and President, Optimum Publishing International The National Endowment for Democracy is a private, nonprofit foundation dedicated to the growth and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. In the last year, NED made more than 1,900 grants to support the projects of non-governmental groups abroad who are working for democratic goals in more than 90 countries. Learn more at https://www.ned.org/ Follow NED: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/National.Endowment.for.Democracy Twitter - https://twitter.com/nedemocracy Instagram - https://instagram.com/nedemocracy/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-endowment-for-democracy/