Rather good.
Tibet is in their opinion theirs, not a foreign power with whom to have relations.

This is the same with Russia, which can crack down brutally on Chechnya and at the same time negotiate with the West on treaties.


The Chinese Central government of the last 20 years has exhibited a pattern; they give actors a lot of freedom (corporations, for example), but they punish hardly those who hurt its power or national interest (such as mass executions of corrupt officials).

Besides, they cannot reasonably expect to gain anything with a heavy handed approach. The more heavy-handed, the more opposition they'll get from the West (Europe still has influence on the black continent) and the more will other developing country governments resist Chinese influence.