Western and European countries must show more internal solidarity to pressure China on its human rights record, a Tibetan activist visiting Luxembourg this week said as EU Council president Charles Michel meets with president Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Prof Gyal Lo has published research on Chinese education policy in Tibet and its impact on culture and identity in the region. He was visiting Luxembourg in cooperation with the Amis du Tibet association on Monday to give a talk about his work.

“Education is a powerful tool,” Gyal Lo said in an interview, adding that Beijing’s policy would gradually “eradicate Tibetan identity and culture.” 

On the one hand, children as young as four years old are separated from their families to attend boarding school, which means they are also separated from local daily life, its customs and traditions. On the other hand, the curriculum at the boarding schools has sidelined Tibetan teaching, the academic stated.