Well, part of the fact is that the US and most other countries of the world are in no position to tell China what to do for anything. They can't agree in the UN, and quite frankly, no one has the balls to take the economic hit. Hell, you'd be crying once the economy comes crashing down because we unilaterily decided to piss off a major economic superpower.
Face it- If America can't take the pain of occupying a dinky little part of the Mideast and fusses over deposing a tyrant and not being able to keep up standards there, just THINK how fucked up a mess things will be if we try messing with a country that could actually -do- serious, actual damage instead of just causing liberals to bitch.
Is it that the government is against war, or is it the PEOPLE against war? We can't even stand the thought of cleaning up after ourselves in Iraq, and you want to take on an economic and nuclear superpower? You're kidding, right?
The US won against the USSR because it actually had the nuts to fight covert wars in Africa, Afganistan, Nicaragua, and all over the globe. We rid the world of an extremely evil empire. And what does Ronald Regan get? Bitching about the deficit it caused and the economic sitauation thereafter. Honestly, I think you finding a hard time getting a job is -worth- demolishing political oppression. I think a few years of chaos is worth telling the people in the world, stop being dictators.
The unfortunate fact is, that if the US took action against China, it would simply cause more Tibetans to die, more Americans to die, and more of everyone to die, and quite frankly, it would never be able to win. Other than cultural persuasion and diplomatic influence, the US doesn't really have any leverage on China it could use to make such demands. The best way to do it is to follow the Dhalai Llama- A slow course of persuasion determined at changing people's minds.
If anything history has shown, China can be persuaded. Look at it now compared to 20 years ago. Grassroots protests and hippie wagons are -exactly- the right tools for this kind of job.