| Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting Tibet | |
|---|---|
 Text of the Convention | |
| Type | Convention |
| Signed | 27 April 1906; 119 years ago (27 April 1906) |
| Location | Peking,Qing Empire |
| Signatories |  Tang Shaoyi Ernest Mason Satow |
| Parties | ChinaUnited Kingdom |
| Ratifiers | Guangxu EmperorKing Edward VII |
| Full text | |
 Convention Between Great Britain and China Respecting Tibet atWikisource | |
TheConvention Between Great Britain and China Respecting Tibet (Chinese:中英續訂藏印條約) was atreaty signed inPeking between theQing dynasty and theBritish Empire in 1906 concerning Tibet. It was a follow-on to the 1904Convention of Lhasa signed by the British Empire and Tibet after theBritish expedition to Tibet in 1903–1904. The new Convention reaffirmed the Chinese possession of Tibet. The British agreed not to annex or interfere in Tibet. China agreed to pay the indemnity due from Tibet and engaged "not to permit any other foreign state to interfere with the territory or internal administration of Tibet".[1][2][3]
In 1904, after theBritish invasion of Tibet resulting in the exile ofthe 13th Dalai Lama,[4] Britain signed theConvention of Lhasa with theKashag and delegations of three major Tibetan monasteries. However,Qing Empire considered the convention "damaging to state sovereignty" and refused to ratify it.[5]
In order to gain Chinese acceptance, subsequent negotiations were held inCalcutta in February 1905. During the negotiations, the Chinese representative,Tang Shaoyi, insisted that Britain recognize China'ssovereignty over Tibet. However, the British representative maintained that China held onlysuzerainty over the region. This fundamental disagreement prevented the two sides from reaching a consensus.[6]
After theLiberals took office in December 1905, the British government adopted anon-interference policy on Tibet and returned to the negotiating table in April 1906 inPeking. On April 27th, the two parties officially signed the treaty.[7] Under the agreement, Britain consented to refrain from occupying Tibetan territories or interfering in Tibet's political affairs, while China retained the right to govern Tibet'sinternal affairs, and ensured that no otherforeign powers would interfere in Tibetan matters.[8][9]
After signing the treaty, theQing Empire, though not granted sovereignty over Tibet, gained a "virtually free hand" in the region, including exclusive control over its territory, internal affairs, officer detachments, commerce, and finances.[7][8] In 1906,Zhang Yintang, appointed as the assistantamban for Tibet, leveraged the provisions of the 1906 convention to reassert control over Tibet and diminish British influence.[10][11]
The British troops were withdrawn from theChumbi Valley following the payment of the third installment from the Chinese government of the indemnity stipulated in the 1904 convention.[11] The indemnity amount was reduced to one-third under the terms of the 1906 convention.
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