Treaty of friendship and alliance between the Government of Mongolia and Tibet
Encyclopedia
A Treaty of friendship and alliance between the Government of Mongolia and Tibet was signed on February 2, 1913, at Urga (now Ulaanbaatar
). However, there have been doubts about the authority of the Tibetan signatories to conclude such a treaty, and therefore about whether it constitutes a valid contract.
Occasionally, the mere existence of the treaty has been put into doubt, But its text in Mongolian language
has been published by the Mongolian Academy of Sciences
in 1982, and in 2007 an original copy in Tibetan language
and script
surfaced from Mongolian archives.
in 1911, both Tibet
and Mongolia
declared their formal independence under lamaist heads of states, both had had no success in gaining official recognition from the Republic of China
. In the treaty, Mongolia and Tibet declared mutual recognition and allegiance. The Mongolian representatives signing the treaty were foreign minister Da Lama Ravdan and General Manlaibaatar Damdinsüren. The Tibetan representatives who signed this document were Agvan Dorjiev, a Buryat
, i.e. citizen of Russia
, Chijamts, and Gendun-Galsan a Tibetan citizen. There exist some doubts to the validity of this treaty: the 13th Dalai Lama denied that he had authorized Dorjiev to negotiate a treaty with Mongolia. More importantly, neither the cleric nor the Tibetan government appeared to have ever ratified the treaty. The Russian government maintained that, as a Russian subject, Dorjiev could not possibly act in a diplomatic capacity on behalf of the Dalai Lama. According to the 14th Dalai Lama
, this treaty was signed under the reign of the 13th Dalai Lama.
In any case, the independence of both Tibet and Mongolia continued not to be recognized by most other powers, which continued to recognize at least the suzerainty of the Republic of China over these areas. Even Russia and the UK were more comfortable with formally recognizing China's suzerainty and keeping an ambivalent position towards Mongolia and Tibet's independence. In addition, there was a concern among the Western powers (again particularly Russia and UK) that recognizing Tibetan or Mongolian independence would allow those areas to come under the other power's influence, respectively, a situation which all concerned believed to be worse than a situation in which those areas were nominally under the control of a weak China.
, was signed by Mongolia, the Republic of China and Russia on 25 May 1915. The agreement affirmed Mongolia's complete autonomy in internal matters and Russian privileges in Mongolia, at the same time formally recognized China's suzerainty over the country.
Ulaanbaatar
Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....
). However, there have been doubts about the authority of the Tibetan signatories to conclude such a treaty, and therefore about whether it constitutes a valid contract.
Occasionally, the mere existence of the treaty has been put into doubt, But its text in Mongolian language
Mongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
has been published by the Mongolian Academy of Sciences
Mongolian Academy of Sciences
The Mongolian Academy of Sciences is Mongolia's first centre of modern sciences. It was founded in 1921, when the government established an Institute of Literature and Script, which was later upgraded to Institute of Science. Later, in 1961, it was reconstituted as the Mongolian Academy of Sciences...
in 1982, and in 2007 an original copy in Tibetan language
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
and script
Tibetan script
The Tibetan alphabet is an abugida of Indic origin used to write the Tibetan language as well as the Dzongkha language, Denzongkha, Ladakhi language and sometimes the Balti language. The printed form of the alphabet is called uchen script while the hand-written cursive form used in everyday...
surfaced from Mongolian archives.
Treaty's signing and validity
After the fall of the Qing DynastyQing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
in 1911, both Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
declared their formal independence under lamaist heads of states, both had had no success in gaining official recognition from the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
. In the treaty, Mongolia and Tibet declared mutual recognition and allegiance. The Mongolian representatives signing the treaty were foreign minister Da Lama Ravdan and General Manlaibaatar Damdinsüren. The Tibetan representatives who signed this document were Agvan Dorjiev, a Buryat
Buryats
The Buryats or Buriyads , numbering approximately 436,000, are the largest ethnic minority group in Siberia and are mainly concentrated in their homeland, the Buryat Republic, a federal subject of Russia...
, i.e. citizen of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Chijamts, and Gendun-Galsan a Tibetan citizen. There exist some doubts to the validity of this treaty: the 13th Dalai Lama denied that he had authorized Dorjiev to negotiate a treaty with Mongolia. More importantly, neither the cleric nor the Tibetan government appeared to have ever ratified the treaty. The Russian government maintained that, as a Russian subject, Dorjiev could not possibly act in a diplomatic capacity on behalf of the Dalai Lama. According to the 14th Dalai Lama
14th Dalai Lama
The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...
, this treaty was signed under the reign of the 13th Dalai Lama.
In any case, the independence of both Tibet and Mongolia continued not to be recognized by most other powers, which continued to recognize at least the suzerainty of the Republic of China over these areas. Even Russia and the UK were more comfortable with formally recognizing China's suzerainty and keeping an ambivalent position towards Mongolia and Tibet's independence. In addition, there was a concern among the Western powers (again particularly Russia and UK) that recognizing Tibetan or Mongolian independence would allow those areas to come under the other power's influence, respectively, a situation which all concerned believed to be worse than a situation in which those areas were nominally under the control of a weak China.
Aftermath
News of the treaty aroused considerable suspicion amongst the British negotiators at the Simla Convention, who feared that Russia might use the treaty to gain influence on Tibetan matters. While China ultimately did not sign the Simla Convention, a similar treaty, the tripartite Treaty of KyakhtaKyakhta
Kyakhta is a town in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia, located on the Kyakhta River near the Russian-Mongolian border. Population: The town stands directly opposite the Mongolian border town of Altanbulag.-History:...
, was signed by Mongolia, the Republic of China and Russia on 25 May 1915. The agreement affirmed Mongolia's complete autonomy in internal matters and Russian privileges in Mongolia, at the same time formally recognized China's suzerainty over the country.