Forty-five years after the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in fear of his life, China's communist leaders show little sign that he will be allowed back any time soon, fearing his return would spark separatist activism.
While Beijing's mandarins say they are prepared for talks, they also regularly accuse Tibet's spiritual leader of "secessionist activities" and strict conditions are attached to any unlikely homecoming.
The Dalai Lama has said he is willing to do almost anything to settle the issue of Tibet, even if it means going to China personally.
But he has yet to publicly express willingness to recognize that Taiwan is a part of China -- a key demand by Beijing, along with his renouncement of an independent Tibet.
"The door for negotiations with the Dalai Lama is always open," China's foreign ministry said when asked its position by AFP.
"We hope he can abandon his position of separating Taiwan from China. We hope he will admit officially that Taiwan is a part of China."
The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has lived in India since fleeing the Tibetan capital Lhasa in March 1959 with thousands of supporters after an abortive revolt against Chinese rule.
Tibetans say tens of thousands of people died in the crackdown that followed.
Despite Beijing's fears, the Dalai Lama stresses that an independent Tibet is not on his agenda, but rather greater autonomy from China's leaders.
"I have reiterated like a mantra that I am not seeking independence, I am not trying to separate Tibet from China," he said late last year.
"I am only seeking a genuine autonomy for Tibet, but the Chinese leadership has a hard time believing what I am saying. This is why a face-to-face meeting is very important."
While two rounds of talks between the Dalai Lama's camp and Chinese representatives have already taken place, in September 2002 and May 2003, a third round, expected last October, never occurred.
Tibet watchers say China has too much at stake to allow the Dalai Lama back and see no softening in its stance.
"I have seen no change or inclination to change from the Chinese government," said Nicholas Becquelin, the Hong Kong-based director of Human Rights in China.
Becquelin said Beijing's policy was to control religion and cultural activities to dampen any potential social unrest, and allowing back the Dalai Lama, who is revered as a living God, does not fit with their agenda.
"I think Beijing very clearly has identified ethnic minority culture with separatist aspirations so it is trying to do all it can to suppress ethnic culture," he said.
"And not just in Tibet, but Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia."
China's zero tolerance of Tibetan aspirations for independence is reflected in the number of Tibetan political prisoners held in detention which, according to the London-based Tibet Information Network, is currently 145.
Rights groups accuse China of orchestrating a wave of immigration of Han Chinese settlers into the area to dilute Tibet's ethnic identity, and the Dalai Lama himself has accused uncultured Chinese businessmen interested only in money of exploiting the territory.
Billions of dollars in infrastructure investment has been pumped into the impoverished and isolated area -- essentially to attract Han Chinese -- yet recent studies show rural Tibetans remain among the poorest in China.
In a sign that the Dalai Lama's patience is wearing thin, he warned last year that talks on autonomy have to produce results within two or three years or violence may erupt, with Tibetan youth organisations agitating for independence.
"If my approach fails, these youths might be within their rights to take up the torch and demand independence," he told the French daily Le Figaro.