French Venues Refuse to Host Former CTA Sikyong

Organizers in France were forced to hold a talk by former Central Tibetan Administration Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay on 15 October at an undisclosed location after repeated venue rejections, highlighting the influence of Chinese soft power on French institutions. Stephanie Mareva Failloux, President of the Harvard Club of France, said dozens of institutions refused to host the event out of fear of offending China. The incident follows similar controversies in French museums accused of adopting Beijing’s terminology for Tibet, which UN experts warned undermines Tibetans’ cultural rights and right to self-determination.