The annual political gatherings in Beijing, known as the “Two Sessions,” concluded this year with explicit signals of a deepening clampdown on Tibetan identity, positioning Tibet as a testing ground for China’s broader policy of assimilating ethnic minorities into a singular Chinese identity.

The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) convened from March 4 to 10, followed closely by the National People’s Congress (NPC), held from March 5 to 11. Tibetan delegates, predictably lauding Chinese government policies, were portrayed in state media as celebrating “happiness, peace, harmony, and unity” in Tibet—claims starkly at odds with independent reports of severe human rights violations.