False Karmapa Allegations: China Operation Fox Hunt | Transnational Repression
【Summary】 Since His Holiness the Dalai Lama sought refuge in India in 1959, China has regarded him as a prominent figure in Tibetan opposition. In 2000, the 14-year-old Karmapa's defection from communist China to join the Dalai Lama in India garnered substantial international media coverage, resulting in China experiencing a significant loss of credibility. According to Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China asserts that its overseas Operation Fox Hunt, aimed at apprehending fugitive suspects, is conducted to uphold the integrity of the law. In 2014, Operation Fox Hunt, including dissident captures under Skynet, targeted individuals like the Karmapa, whom China claims fled without approval, citing violations of Chinese laws. Notably, the Tiananmen Student Movement's pro-democracy protesters in 1989 were also pursued as targets of Operation Fox Hunt. Trapping the Karmapa In 2015, China extended a gesture of goodwill towards the Karmapa, allo