Canberra: On 30 July 2025, Chinese Liaison Officer Dawa Sangmo of the Tibet Information Office (also known as the Office of Tibet) attended the opening of the 8th Taiwan Film Festival in Australia, which was inaugurated by His Excellency Douglas Hsu, Ambassador of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Australia.
On the sidelines of the festival, Liaison Officer Dawa Sangmo briefed Ambassador Hsu on the global celebration of the 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. On the occasion, she presented the Ambassador with a copy of Voice for the Voiceless, the newly published memoir of His Holiness, which documents his seven decades of struggle with the PRC and his stance on the continuation of the Dalai Lama lineage. His Holiness affirmed that the lineage will continue and be reborn in a free world.
In a separate informal meeting with Deputy Representative Regine Chen, Dawa raised concerns about the PRC’s growing infiltration in the Taiwan Strait through influencers, as well as the escalating transnational repression that has long targeted the Tibetan people and is now increasingly affecting Taiwanese communities abroad. Deputy Representative Chen acknowledged the urgency of these challenges and stressed the need for stronger government policies to counter them, emphasising that democratically governed Taiwan remains steadfast in protecting its freedom and democratic values.
The Taiwan Film Festival is an annual cultural event held across six major Australian cities—Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, and Brisbane—aimed at promoting Taiwan’s vibrant cinema and cultural identity.
-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Canberra