The wars against Tibetan peoples, in a broad sense, have a much longer history than the American Indian wars. So it's no surprise that some would still think in those terms. And the American west is a good example of why many Tibetans are skeptical of Han migration. The western US has no chance to become independent because it was modernized by American settlers much like the Han settlers are modernizing Tibet.

I think the word you want is colonized, not modernized.

I think that's what he means when he says modernize. As in "modernize". Seems entirely intentional to me on several levels. I'm sure the Chinese do see it as modernizing, even if the reality is much more despicable.

Sure but colonization has pretty much always brought modernization with it: Roman, Mongol, Ottoman, Spanish, etc.

But on the flip side, often times the local pop suffers great losses.