A recent directive from Beijing reveals that Tibetan applicants for Chinese government jobs, specifically in Shigatse City's Village Development Expansion Programme, are mandated to denounce the Dalai Lama and demonstrate loyalty to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. The directive, offering 554 new public job opportunities, outlined eligibility criteria for college graduates from the Tibet Autonomous Region with expertise in medicine, counseling, and village development.

Applicants were explicitly required to be "trustworthy and reliable citizens," renounce the Dalai Lama, refrain from separatism, and maintain allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party. This longstanding requirement, dating back to after the 2008 protests against Chinese rule in Tibet, underscores China's insistence on loyalty from Tibetan job candidates.

Despite residing in exile in India since 1959, the Dalai Lama, viewed as a separatist by China, advocates for meaningful autonomy for Tibet, which was annexed by China in 1951. The Chinese government's refusal to entertain negotiated settlements and its continued imposition of loyalty tests highlight the complexities surrounding Tibetan autonomy and the Dalai Lama's influence on the political landscape.