Raidi

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Raidi

| native_name = {{nobold|{{bo-textonly|རག་སྡི་}}}}
{{nobold|{{lang|zh-Hans|热地}}}}

| other names =

| image =

| caption =

| office = Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress

| term_start = 15 March 2003

| term_end = 15 March 2008

| 1blankname = Chairman

| 1namedata = Wu Bangguo

| office1 = Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress

| term_start1 = January 1993

| term_end1 = May 2003

| predecessor1 = Ngapoi Ngawang Jigme

| successor1 = Legqog

| office2 = Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

| term_start2 = May 1985

| term_end2 = January 1993

| predecessor2 = Yangling Dorje

| successor2 = Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai

| birth_date = August 1938

| birth_place = Biru, Tibet

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|6|6|1938|8|df=y}}

| death_place = Beijing, China

| party = {{nobr|Chinese Communist Party}}

| spouse =

| children =

| alma_mater = Central Party School

| module = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes|order=st

| title = Legqog

| s = 热地

| t = 熱地

| p = Rèdì

| tib = རག་སྡི་

| wylie = rag sdi

| thdl =

| zwpy = Raidi

| lhasa =

}}

Raidi ({{lang-zh|s=热地}}; {{bo|t=རག་སྡི་}}; also written Ragdi; August 1938 – 6 June 2025) was a Tibetan politician of the People's Republic of China. He served as a vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress{{cite web |title=Former senior Chinese legislator Ragdi dies at 87 |url=https://english.news.cn/20250606/b1a7f137ec264410bd0ba26e21817010/c.html |website=english.news.cn |publisher=Xinhua |access-date=8 June 2025 |language=en |date=6 June 2025}} from 2003 to 2008, and was the highest-ranking Tibetan in the People's Republic of China.

Biography

He was a native of Biru County, Tibet Autonomous Region. Born in August 1938, he was a graduate of the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party, and joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in October 1961.{{cite book | author=中国人权研究会 | title=中国人权年鉴: 2000–2005 | publisher=团结出版社 | date=2007 | isbn=978-7-80214-279-4 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_VE6AQAAIAAJ&q=1972%25E5%25B9%25B4-1975%25E5%25B9%25B4%25EF%25BC%258C%25E8%25A5%25BF%25E8%2597%258F%25E8%2587%25AA%25E6%25B2%25BB%25E5%258C%25BA%25E9%2582%25A3%25E6%259B%25B2%25E5%259C%25B0%25E5%25A7%2594%25E4%25B9%25A6%25E8%25AE%25B0 | language=zh | access-date=2025-06-06 | page=1170}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2019-09-05 |title=Tibetan collaborator among top Chinese national honor recipients |url=http://www.tibetanreview.net/tibetan-collaborator-among-top-chinese-national-honor-recipients/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905002727/http://www.tibetanreview.net/tibetan-collaborator-among-top-chinese-national-honor-recipients/ |archive-date=2019-09-05 |access-date=2020-03-10 |website=Tibetan Review |quote=Re Di, a native of Driru (Chinese: Biru) County in Nagchu (Naqu) Prefecture of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) where he was born in Aug 1938, is a graduate of the Central Party School, and joined the Chinese Communist Party in October 1961. He spoke of having experienced suffering under the old Tibetan society and that the PLA taught him about revolution and led him towards the revolutionary path. Ragdi worked in various top leadership positions in TAR during his 28 years of service there until his “election” as a Vice Chairman of the standing committee of the National People’s Congress in Mar 2003.}} He was formerly a Buddhist monk.{{Cite news |date=1999-03-09 |title=Dalai Lama hindered Tibet, ethnic leaders say |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0h1OAAAAIBAJ&dq=%22raidi%22+tibet&pg=PA5&article_id=6511,3874005 |work=The Deseret News |agency=Associated Press}}

Between 1966 and 1968, Raidi was employed by the Public Prosecution and Law Enforcement Commission of the Nagqu Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region.{{cite book | title=中共第十四届中央委员名录 | publisher=Chinese Communist Party History Press | date=1993 | isbn=978-7-80023-615-0 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CTO4AAAAIAAJ&q=1972%25E5%25B9%25B4-1975%25E5%25B9%25B4%25EF%25BC%258C%25E8%25A5%25BF%25E8%2597%258F%25E8%2587%25AA%25E6%25B2%25BB%25E5%258C%25BA%25E9%2582%25A3%25E6%259B%25B2%25E5%259C%25B0%25E5%25A7%2594%25E4%25B9%25A6%25E8%25AE%25B0 | language=zh | access-date=2025-06-06 | page=121}} From 1968 to 1972, he held the position of officer and deputy chairman of the People's Security Group under the Nagqu Regional Revolutionary Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region. He held the position of Secretary of the Nagqu Prefecture CCP Committee from 1972 until 1975.{{cite book | title=中国共产党西藏自治区组织史资料, 1950–1987 | publisher=西藏人民出版社出版 | date=1993 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gDjlAAAAMAAJ&q=1972%25E5%25B9%25B4-1975%25E5%25B9%25B4%25EF%25BC%258C%25E8%25A5%25BF%25E8%2597%258F%25E8%2587%25AA%25E6%25B2%25BB%25E5%258C%25BA%25E9%2582%25A3%25E6%259B%25B2%25E5%259C%25B0%25E5%25A7%2594%25E4%25B9%25A6%25E8%25AE%25B0 | language=zh | access-date=2025-06-06 | page=181}}

He occupied numerous roles, including Deputy Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, Disciplinary Commissioner of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Deputy Director of the Tibet Autonomous Region Revolutionary Committee, Deputy Director of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress, Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and President of the Tibet Autonomous Region Party School.{{cite book | title=迈向新征程: 十屆全国人大一次会议, 全国政协十届一次会议纪实 | publisher=新华出版社 | date=2003 | isbn=978-7-5011-6178-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=auk0AAAAMAAJ&q=%25E7%2583%25AD%25E5%259C%25B0+%25E8%25A5%25BF%25E8%2597%258F%25E8%2587%25AA%25E6%25B2%25BB%25E5%258C%25BA+%25E5%2585%259A%25E6%25A0%25A1 | language=zh | access-date=2025-06-06 | page=97}}

From 1993 to 1994, he held the positions of Deputy Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee, Director of the Standing Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region People's Congress, and Party Secretary. From 1994 until 2003, he held the position of Standing Deputy Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region Party Committee and served as the Director of the Standing Committee of the Party Group Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region. He held the position of Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from March 2003 until March 2008.{{cite book | title=中国民族年鉴 | publisher=民族出版社 | date=2009 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=umEzAQAAIAAJ&q=%25E7%2583%25AD%25E5%259C%25B0+%25E5%2585%25A8%25E5%259B%25BD%25E4%25BA%25BA%25E5%25A4%25A7 | language=zh | access-date=2025-06-06 | page=14}}

On 16 September 2019, he received the national honorary designation of "Outstanding Contributor to Ethnic Unity".{{cite web |date=2023-05-26 |title=国家勋章和国家荣誉称号获得者名单_滚动新闻_中国政府网 |url=https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2019-09/18/content_5430749.htm |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=State Council of the People's Republic of China |language=zh}}{{cite web | author=编辑： alan | title=国家主席习近平签署主席令在庆祝中华人民共和国成立70周年之际授予42人国家勋章和国家荣誉称号 | website=羊城晚报报业集团官方网站 | date=2019-09-17 | url=https://wap.ycwb.com/2019-09/17/content_30340532.htm | access-date=2025-06-06}}

Raidi interacted with foreign journalists multiple times during his political career, discussing issues such as tourism in Tibet,{{Cite news |last=Butterfield |first=Fox |author-link=Fox Butterfield |date=1979-07-23 |title=Tibet Opens Up to Tourists, But Only a Few at a Time |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/07/23/archives/tibet-opens-up-to-tourists-but-only-a-few-at-a-time-government-runs.html |access-date=2025-06-07 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} the status of the Dalai Lama,{{Cite news |last=Butterfield |first=Fox |author-link=Fox Butterfield |date=1979-07-19 |title=But Chinese Have Put End to the Lamaist Theocracy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/07/19/archives/but-chinese-have-put-end-to-the-lamaist-theocracy-few-monasteries.html |access-date=2025-06-07 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite news |date=1997-07-06 |title=Handover embroiled in Tibet row |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=470pAAAAIBAJ&dq=%22raidi%22+tibet&pg=PA4&article_id=5013,2576095 |work=The Nation |pages=A7 |agency=Reuters}} the Karmapa Lama,{{Cite news |last=Page |first=Jeremy |date=2000-03-09 |title=China says Dalai Lama manipulating escaped lama |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=InRTAAAAIBAJ&dq=%22raidi%22+tibet&pg=PA22&article_id=4043,3416614 |work=Daily News |pages=10 |agency=Reuters}} and the disappearance of the Panchen Lama.{{Cite news |date=2002-11-12 |title=China says vanished Panchen Lama 'happy' |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2450463.stm |access-date=2025-06-07 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}} He was a fierce critic of "splitism", or Tibetan nationalism,{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Warren |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OXmmDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22raidi%22+tibet&pg=PT554 |title=Tibetan Nation: A History Of Tibetan Nationalism And Sino-tibetan Relations |date=2019-07-31 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-000-61228-8 |language=en}} and often criticized claims that Tibetans were oppressed by the Chinese government.{{Cite news |last=Faison |first=Seth |date=1997-08-25 |title=China Faults U.S. Official Over Tibet Trip |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/25/world/china-faults-us-official-over-tibet-trip.html |access-date=2025-06-07 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}

He died in Beijing on 6 June 2025, at the age of 86.{{cite web |date=2025-06-06 |title=热地同志逝世-新华网 |url=http://www.news.cn/20250606/a7fa0fd9bdee4d0bb34d869bf90e1480/c.html |access-date=2025-06-06 |website=Xinhua News Agency |language=zh}}