Battle of Chamdo The Battle of Chamdo ( ) , also referred to as the Invasion of Tibet , the Chinese invasion of Tibet , or officially in China as the Liberation of Tibet was a military campaign by the People ' s Republic of China against a " de facto " independent Tibet in Qamdo after months of failed negotiations . The purpose of the campaign was to capture the Tibetan army in Chamdo , demoralize the Lhasa government , and thus exert powerful pressure to send negotiators to Beijing to sign terms recognizing Chinese sovereignty over Tibet . The campaign resulted in the capture of Qamdo and further negotiations between the PRC and Tibetan representatives , eventually resulting in the incorporation of Tibet into the People ' s Republic of China . Background . On March 7 , 1950 , a Tibetan Government delegation arrived in Kalimpong to open a dialogue with the newly declared PRC and to secure assurances that the PRC would respect Tibetan “ territorial integrity ” , among other things . The onset of talks was delayed by debate between the Tibetan delegation , India , Britain , and the PRC about the location of the talks . Tibet favored Singapore or Hong Kong ( not Beijing ) , Britain favored India ( not Hong Kong or Singapore ) , India and the PRC favored Beijing , but India and Britain preferred no talks at all . The Tibetan delegation did eventually meet with the PRC ’ s ambassador General Yuan Zhongxian in Delhi on September 16 , 1950 . Yuan communicated a 3 - point proposal that Tibet be regarded as part of China , that China be responsible for Tibet ’ s defense , and that China be responsible for Tibet ’ s trade and foreign relations . Acceptance would lead to peaceful " liberation " , or otherwise war . The Tibetans undertook to maintain the relationship between China and Tibet as one of preceptor and patron , and their head delegate Tsepon W . D . Shakabpa , on September 19 , recommended cooperation , with some stipulations about implementation . Chinese troops need not be stationed in Tibet , it was argued , since it was under no threat , and if attacked by India or Nepal could appeal to China for military assistance . While Lhasa deliberated , on October 7 , Chinese troops advanced into eastern Tibet , crossing the " de facto " border at 5 places . The purpose was not to invade Tibet " per se " but to capture the Tibetan army in Chamdo , demoralize the Lhasa government , and thus exert powerful pressure to send negotiators to Beijing to sign terms for a peaceful incorporation of Tibet . On October 21 , Lhasa instructed its delegation to leave immediately for Beijing for consultations with the Communist government , and to accept the first provision , if the status of the Dalai Lama could be guaranteed , while rejecting the other two conditions . It later rescinded even acceptance of the first demand , after a divination before the Six - Armed Mahākāla deities indicated that the three points could not be accepted , since Tibet would fall under foreign domination . Invasion of Kham region . Before the Communist takeover , the relationship between the Khampa and the Dalai Lama ' s Government had deteriorated badly . As a result , the Khampa barely opposed or even joined the initial Communist assault on Chamdo . The People ' s Liberation Army had occupied Kham without much opposition from the Khampas . The relationship between the Khampa and the Tibetan Dalai Lama government in Lhasa was extremely poor at the time . Pandatsang Rapga , leader of the pro Kuomintang Tibet Improvement Party offered the governor of Chamdo , Ngabo Ngawang Jigme , some Khampa fighters in exchange for the Tibetan government recognizing the independence of Kham . Ngabo refused the offer . After the defeat of the Tibetan Army in Chamdo , Rapga started mediating in negotiations between the People ' s Liberation Army and the Tibetans . Rapga and Topgay engaged in negotiations with the Chinese during their assault on Chamdo . Khampas either defected to the Chinese PLA forces or did not fight at all . The PLA succeeded in the invasion . Invasion of Tibet . After months of failed negotiations , attempts by Tibet to secure foreign support and assistance , and PRC and Tibetan troop buildups , the People ' s Liberation Army ( PLA ) crossed the Jinsha River on 6 or 7 October . Two PLA units quickly surrounded the outnumbered Tibetan forces and captured the border town of Qamdo by 19 October , by which time 114 PLA soldiers and 180 Tibetan soldiers had been killed or wounded . Writing in 1962 , Zhang Guohua claimed " over 5 , 700 enemy men were destroyed " and " more than 3 , 000 " peacefully surrendered , though that appears to be hyperbole . Active hostilities were limited to a border area controlled by the Government of Tibet northeast of the Gyamo Ngul Chu River and east of the 96th meridian . After capturing Qamdo , the PLA ceased hostilities and sent a captured commander , Ngabo , to Lhasa to reiterate terms of negotiation , and waited for Tibetan representatives to respond through delegates to Beijing . Tibetan prisoners of war were generally well treated . After confiscating their weapons , the PLA soldiers gave the prisoners lectures on socialism and a small amount of money , before allowing them to return to their homes . According to Tenzin Gyatso , the current as well as the Dalai Lama of the time , the PLA did not attack civilians . Aftermath . The PLA sent released prisoners ( among them Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme , a captured governor ) to Lhasa to negotiate with the Dalai Lama on the PLA ' s behalf . Chinese broadcasts promised that if Tibet was " peacefully liberated " , the Tibetan elites could keep their positions and power . The Government of Tibet then sent representatives to Beijing to negotiate . The government of PRC then defined the battle to be against " pro - Britain pro - Slavery separatist " 3rd Taktra Ngawang Sungrab Thutob , " who is responsible for the death of Jamphel Yeshe Gyaltsen , the former teacher of Dalai Lama " .