Dalai Lama Return to Tibet May Be Simpler for China By Jane Macartney, Asian Diplomatic Correspondent:

China appears to have shifted from a long-held view that his demise would deal a death blow to independence movements in Tibet and restarted talks with his representatives.

Quoting Geremie Barme (author of In the Red), she goes on,

"There was a view that once he was dead the Tibet problem would be resolved because there would be no central figure to muster resistance," said Barme.

The September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington may have helped to spur a change.

"With 9/11, they see that once the Dalai Lama is dead then many cells of resistance will abandon his message of a peaceful resolution of the Tibet question and become militarized," said Barme.

"They could face a serious terror threat," he said. "I would be shocked if the Chinese are so crude and simple that they think this can be resolved by the death of this man in exile."

But even if he dies in China, won't "many cells of resistance will abandon his message of a peaceful resolution of the Tibet question and become militarized"?