As early as 1951, on the eve of the peaceful liberation of Tibet, the US co-planned and supported armed forces of the old ruling serf lords in resisting the People's Liberation Army. After the attempt failed, the Central Intelligence Agency trained special forces for the Dalai Lama clique and airdropped them into Tibet to lead the rebellion in 1959. The same special forces guarded the Dalai Lama when he fled to India.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the CIA helped the Dalai Lama group establish its guerrilla force, as well as funded the special frontier force of India, which accepted exile Tibetans as soldiers; both forces aimed at military invasion of Tibet.

CIA documents show that the US used to spend over $1.7 million annually in actions related to Tibet. At the same time, the US also controlled the United Nations to pass resolutions on so-called Tibetan issues in the hope of internationalizing the domestic issue.

The US only lessened its support to Dalai Lama clique after its relations with China improved in the 1970s.

However, it accepted the Dalai Lama's request for a visit for the first time in 1979, and since then the Dalai Lama has visited the US many times. He met then-president George H.W. Bush and over the years he has met a considerable number of senior officials.

The US Department of State introduced the job of special coordinator for Tibetan Issues in 1997, and the US' support for Dalai Lama has increased in the 21st century. In 2002, the US Congress passed the Tibetan Policy Act, according to which the Department of State must submit a report to Congress every year on so-called Tibetan issues. Congress has also held repeated hearings on these "issues". As a reward, the Dalai Lama and his clique always make trouble for Beijing.

But their efforts are doomed to fail. What the Dalai Lama and his clique are doing lacks the support of all ethnic groups in China, including Tibetans, and will only be condemned by all. Efforts to disintegrate China or separate some of its territories will never succeed.

The author is a researcher with China Tibetology Research Center.