In Dilemmas of Victory (hardcopy 2007), Chen Jian, who wrote the chapter The Chinese Communist ‘Liberation’ of Tibet, mentioned very briefly the role played by Zhao.
Instead, he stated the strategy of carrot and stick was planned by Mao.
Mao directed Deng and Liu Bocheng to plan for an attack on Tibetan forces. In 1950 it was very difficult to bring an army into Tibet due to the high passes, snow, and lack of roads.
The CCP army built a new road of 603 km in 4 months between Ya’an and Ganzi to prepare for the attack.
Mao planned a 2-prong strategy of using political means as well as military means to persuade the Tibetans to accept the Motherland, with the Dalai Lama remaining a spiritual leader status quo.
This is the 17-Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet, signed in Beijing on May 23, 1951.
To achieve this, Mao played the Dalai Lama’s camp against the Panchen Lama’s camp, as they have a history of enmity between each other.
In Chen Jian’s latest book, Zhou Enlai: A Life (hardcover 2024), he narrates in more detail how Zhou played a major role in the liberation of Tibet. Zhou was the leader who managed the negotiations with the Tibetans as well as messaging with Washington, Delhi, and London not to interfere (p. 304).
LWH, 27 August 2025, 10.30 p.m.