The rebirth of nationalist activism in Tibet against Chinese rule, which erupted last week in violence, will present a serious problem for Beijing now and throughout the Olympic Games in August.

The Chinese invaded and occupied Tibet in 1950. The mountainous region had been independent under the leadership of the Dalai Lama, the primary spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, a unique expression of that faith. After the Tibetans revolted in 1959, the Dalai Lama fled to India and set up a government in exile.

The Tibetans carried out organized protests to Chinese rule again in 1989, when the Beijing government was also facing domestic disorder at home. In the meantime, the Chinese have attempted to subsume Tibet into China. Aside from maintaining a military presence there, Beijing has poured ethnic Chinese immigrants into the mountain territory, strengthened its transportation links to the rest of China, made investments and used other economic initiatives to try to tie Tibet more firmly to China.

The Tibetans have scarcely relented in their desire to regain independence. Now they are striking at an opportune moment, and last week anti-government protests turned violent. While the Chinese said yesterday that the death toll had reached 16, Tibetan exile groups claimed that at least 80 had been killed by Chinese paramilitary police and troops.

The Chinese want the Olympics to showcase their nation in a favorable light, but human rights has always been the Beijing government's Achilles heel in international perceptions. The Chinese appear to have succeeded for the moment in containing the recent disorder led by Buddhist monks, supported by the Tibetan population and directed against Chinese rule and ethnic Chinese living in Tibet. But they have a long way to go.

All of this leaves the United States in an awkward position.

President Bush received the Dalai Lama in October at the White House, but he has also stated that he plans to attend the Beijing Olympics. America's trade and debt relationship with China weighs heavily on Washington in considering policy options for the dispute between the Chinese and the Tibetans. This factor is particularly important as the U.S. economy takes a severe licking in an election year.

The Chinese need to seek an accommodation with the Tibetans and their leader, the Dalai Lama. Washington needs to encourage them to do so, but quietly and subtly -- with pressure on the Chinese to show restraint and on the Tibetans to favor nonviolence.