Mr Speaker, we stand as friends of Tibet and as friends of China at a time when China is leading the new scramble for Africa. In its intervention in Africa, China is not setting any conditions for, or providing incentives aimed at, promoting democracy and human rights, which are feeding into Africa's endemic corruption and malgovernance.
China will not change its ways in Africa until it changes its ways in China. China will not change its ways in China, until it rights its wrongs in Tibet. Tibet has become a turning point in history. History will recall how a group of peaceful monks pursued a decades-long struggle, exclusively through the method of nonviolence. The Rome Convention on Tibet received reports of evidence of extensive atrocities in Tibet. We heard of the desire of many to abandon nonviolence to embrace an armed struggle. By granting Tibet the limited and reasonable autonomy it seeks, China will bequeath to the world a legacy of a successful nonviolent struggle, which will undoubtedly inform how the conflict of the present and the future may be resolved.
Conversely, the failure of the Tibetan cause may discredit nonviolence forever. We must turn the Tibetan issue into a new unifying cause, which can again bring together democrats from across the world, as happened with the worldwide rejection of apartheid.
This battle may move forward because of mankind, and enable China to become the great international partner and leader, which we all sincerely hope it may rise to be, for its own sake and that of mankind. If we fail, Africa will be amongst the most adversely affected. Thank you, Mr Speaker. [Applause.]