Statement: Tibet

President Richard C. Levin
April 7, 2008

Yale has long supported efforts to advance the rule of law and human rights in China. I have promoted the work of the Yale China Law Center, which has been at the forefront of legal reform in China through its extensive collaborations with Chinese scholars, practicing lawyers, judges and other government officials. Yale has also been deeply engaged in the process of reforming China's universities, where there has been steady progress in the direction of free expression and the encouragement of independent thinking.

Last week after I testified on Capitol Hill, I went to visit with the Chinese Ambassador to the United States Zhou Wenzhong, with whom I have had many conversations in recent years about Yale projects in China. I went to update him on current initiatives involving numerous schools at Yale. I also used the occasion to discuss recent events in Tibet, and I urged that China seek peaceful resolution of the current situation through dialogue.

Some believe that disengagement from troubling situations is the preferred solution. But I do not. I remain deeply committed to educational exchange and scholarly collaboration with China. By providing abundant opportunity for our students and faculty to engage with their peers in China, we hope to develop among the future leaders of both nations a mutual understanding of cultural differences, a shared appreciation of our common human values, and the capacity to bridge differences through dialogue.