The purpose was not to invade Tibet per se but to capture the Tibetan army in Chamdo, demoralize the Lhasa government, and thus exert powerful pressure to send negotiators to Beijing to sign terms for a handover of Tibet.
Formålet var ikke at invadere Tibet i sig selv, men for at indkredse den tibetanske hær i Chamdo, demoralisere Lhasa-regeringen og udøve kraftigt pres for at sende forhandlere til Beijing for at underskrive vilkårene for overdragelse af Tibet.