The Seventeen-Point Agreement
The Seventeen-Point Agreement for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet (officially titled the "Agreement of the Central People's Government and the Local Government of Tibet on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet") was a document signed on May 23, 1951, in Beijing between representatives of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and a Tibetan delegation. It formalized China's incorporation of Tibet into the PRC while ostensibly promising certain protections for Tibetan autonomy, religion, and governance. Below is the full list of the 17 points, as extracted from historical records.
The 17 Points
The Tibetan people shall unite and drive out invading imperialist forces from Tibet; the Tibetan people shall return to the big family of the motherland – the People's Republic of China.
The local government of Tibet shall actively assist the People's Liberation Army in entering Tibet and consolidating national defense.
In accordance with the policy towards nationalities laid down in the Common Program of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Tibetan people shall have the right to exercise national regional autonomy under the unified leadership of the Central People's Government.
The central authorities will not alter the existing political system in Tibet. The central authorities will also not alter the established status, functions and powers of the Dalai Lama. Officials of various ranks shall continue to hold office.
The established status, functions and powers of the Panchen Lama shall be maintained.
The established status, functions and powers of the Dalai Lama and of the Panchen Lama mean the status, functions, and powers of the 13th Dalai Lama and the 9th Panchen Lama when relations between them are friendly and amicable.
The policy of freedom of religious belief as laid down in the common program shall be carried out. The religious beliefs, customs and practices of the Tibetan people shall be respected, and lama monasteries shall be protected. The central authorities will not influence or change the income of the monasteries.
Tibetan soldiers shall be gradually integrated into the People's Liberation Army, and become a part of the defense force of the People's Republic of China.
The spoken and written language and education system of the Tibetan nationality shall be developed step by step in accordance with the actual conditions in Tibet.
Tibetan agriculture, livestock raising, industry, and commerce shall be developed step by step and the people's livelihood shall be improved step by step in accordance with the actual conditions in Tibet.
In matters related to various reforms in Tibet, there will be no compulsion on the part of the central authorities. The local government of Tibet shall carry out reforms of its own accord, and, when the people raise demands for reform, they shall be settled through consultation with the leading personnel of Tibet.
In so far as former pro-imperialist and pro-Kuomintang officials resolutely sever relations with imperialism and the Kuomintang and do not engage in sabotage or resistance, they may continue to hold office irrespective of their past.
The People's Liberation Army entering Tibet shall abide by all the aforementioned policies, and shall also be fair in all commerce, and shall not arbitrarily take a needle or thread from the people.
The Central People's Government shall have centralized handling of all of Tibet's external affairs; there will be peaceful coexistence with neighboring countries as well as the establishment and development of fair commercial and trading relations with them on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, and mutual respect for territory and sovereignty.
In order to ensure the implementation of this agreement, the Central People's Government shall set up a military and administrative committee and military area headquarters in Tibet and – apart from the personnel sent there by the Central People's Government – shall absorb as many local Tibetan personnel as possible to take part in the work. Local Tibetan personnel taking part in the military and administrative committee may include patriotic elements from the local government of Tibet, various districts and various principal monasteries; the name list shall be set forth after consultation between the representatives designated by the Central People's Government and various quarters concerned, and shall be submitted to the Central People's Government for appointment.
Funds needed by the military and administrative committee, the military area headquarters, and the People's Liberation Army entering Tibet shall be provided by the Central People's Government. The local government of Tibet should assist the People's Liberation Army in the purchase and transport of food, fodder and other daily necessities.
This agreement shall come into force immediately after signatures and seals are affixed to it.
Forceful Circumstances Under Which the Tibetan Delegation Signed:
The agreement was signed under significant duress following the PRC's military invasion of eastern Tibet (Kham region) in October 1950, where the People's Liberation Army (PLA) defeated Tibetan forces and captured the provincial capital of Chamdo. The PRC then threatened immediate full-scale military operations across the rest of Tibet if an agreement was not reached. A five-member Tibetan delegation, led by Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme (who had been captured after Chamdo's fall), was dispatched to Beijing for negotiations but lacked full authorization from the Tibetan government in Lhasa or the 14th Dalai Lama to sign any binding document. In Beijing, the delegates were isolated, prevented from communicating with Lhasa, and subjected to threats, bullying, and ultimatums from Chinese negotiators, including warnings of armed "liberation" if they refused. They signed in a personal capacity using improvised seals provided by the Chinese (as they claimed not to have official ones), while a secret seven-point addendum was also imposed but not publicized. The Tibetan National Assembly later ratified it in October 1951 under similar pressures, acknowledging the "extenuating circumstances" but conditioning acceptance on unmet demands like limiting PLA troop numbers. The 14th Dalai Lama initially tried to work within the agreement to avoid total destruction but repudiated it in 1959 after fleeing to India, stating it was secured under duress and that China had broken its terms.
Who Drew Up the Points
The entire agreement, including all 17 points and its preamble (which asserted Chinese sovereignty over Tibet), was drafted by the Chinese side, led by negotiators such as Li Weihan. It evolved from an earlier 10-point document circulated by China in eastern Tibet. The Tibetan delegation was not permitted to suggest alterations, negotiate substantive changes, or consult with Lhasa during the process. China imposed the contents unilaterally.
How China Violated the Agreement
China systematically violated the agreement almost immediately after signing, showing no intent to honor its promises while using the PLA to enforce control and suppress Tibetan identity. The International Commission of Jurists has documented that multiple undertakings in the agreement were violated, providing legal grounds for Tibet's repudiation. Below is a synthesis of documented violations, mapped to each point where specific evidence is available; for others, general breaches (e.g., through military occupation and cultural suppression) undermined them indirectly.
Unite and drive out imperialists; return to China: Violated by imposing unification through force rather than voluntary unity, as Tibet was coerced into the "big family" amid ongoing invasion and without genuine consent.
Assist PLA entry and defense consolidation: Undermined by PLA's aggressive advances (over 60,000 troops) beyond agreed limits, converging on Lhasa instead of borders, causing economic disruption and famine.
Right to national regional autonomy: Violated by undermining autonomy through Communist policies, increased troops, and overriding Tibetan governance with Chinese organs.
No alteration to political system or Dalai Lama's status: Breached by inserting Central Government organs that wrested power from the Tibetan government (backed by PLA), refusing to return territories like Chamdo, and eventually dissolving the Tibetan administration post-1959.
Maintain Panchen Lama's status: Indirectly violated through political interference in internal Tibetan affairs, including favoring Panchen Lama factions to divide Tibetans.
Friendly relations between Dalai and Panchen Lamas: Undermined by exploiting divisions for control, part of broader interference in religious leadership.
Respect religious beliefs, customs, and protect monasteries: Violated by forcibly changing Tibetan lifestyles, razing hundreds of monasteries, suppressing Buddhism, and intervening in religious institutions (e.g., denouncing monks as "splittists").
Integrate Tibetan soldiers into PLA: Breached by disbanding the Tibetan army outright rather than gradual integration, crushing resistance with force.
Develop Tibetan language and education: Violated by suppressing Tibetan language in schools, promoting Mandarin, and using education for indoctrination.
Step-by-step economic development: Undermined by exploitative policies causing price spikes (tenfold increases), famine, and forced labor, prioritizing Chinese interests.
No compulsory reforms; consult on demands: Violated by imposing communist reforms in Kham and Amdo against Tibetan wishes, leading to revolts crushed brutally.
Allow former officials to hold office if they sever ties: Breached by arresting or disappearing officials suspected of resistance, regardless of loyalty.
PLA abide by policies, fair commerce, no arbitrary taking: Violated by PLA atrocities, looting, and unfair resource extraction, including taking "not a needle or thread" in name only.
Centralized external affairs; peaceful coexistence: Undermined by merging Tibetan Foreign Office with Chinese control and using Tibet for border aggressions (e.g., against India).
Set up committee with Tibetan personnel: Violated by making the Military-Administrative Commission an overriding body that ignored Tibetan input and conditions.
Central funding; Tibetan assistance in supplies: Breached by burdening Tibet with unsustainable supply demands, exacerbating economic hardship.
Immediate enforcement after signing: Violated from the start, as China ignored the agreement's terms while enforcing occupation.
These violations culminated in Tibetan revolts, the 1959 Lhasa uprising (suppressed with thousands killed), and ongoing suppression, with China claiming the agreement enabled "peaceful liberation" and development.