US House passes China-Tibet dispute bill

A law that would bolster US attempts to pressure China to engage in talks with Tibetan authorities in order to end the long-running Tibet-China conflict was passed by the House of Representatives. The bipartisan “Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act,” sometimes referred to as the “Resolve Tibet Act,” seeks to put pressure on the Chinese government to pick up the talks that have been on hold since 2010 with the envoys of the Dalai Lama or the democratically elected leaders of the Tibetan people. It was introduced by Congressmen Jim McGovern and Michael McCaul, and it gives the State Department the authority to vigorously combat China’s misinformation regarding Tibetan institutions, history, and people. It also rejects as false the Chinese assertion that Tibet has been a part of China from ancient times. Senators Todd Young and Jeff Merkley presented a bill that was comparable. Supporting this law entails endorsing the rights of the Tibetan people. It is also a vote in favour of pressing for a peaceful, legally-based, non-preconditional resolution of the conflict between Tibet and the People’s Republic of China through discussion. This is still something that can be done. But as McGovern said, time is running short. The law, according to Congressman Young Kim, guarantees Tibetans a voice in their destiny. It emphasises that the CCP and Tibet’s democratically elected leaders must have a direct conversation and that any conclusion must be peaceful and incorporate the opinions of the Tibetan people. Congressman Kathy Manning said since 2010 Beijing has also refused to meet its international obligations to engage the Dalai Lama and his representatives to resolve the Tibet issue through dialogue. At the same time Beijing has unleashed a disinformation campaign to mislead the world about Tibet and its history, he said. Congressman Chris Smith said amid threats to Tibetans in Tibet, the Chinese Communist Party also seeks to extend its repressive reach abroad, targeting surveillance and harassment of the Tibetan diaspora in the United States, India, and Nepal. The Chinese Communist Party has long engaged in crimes against humanity in Tibet and against Tibetans, plain and simple, he alleged. In a statement, the Central Tibetan Administration to North America said the Tibetan people will always cherish the bipartisan support for Tibet in the US Congress. Tibetan people, despite seven decades of brutal and paralysing oppression by the CCP, have never abandoned hope. The H.R.533 passage by the US House will boost the determination of the Tibetan people and their resilience, Representative Namgyal Choedup said. It also sends a clear message to the current regime under Xi Jinping that if they truly desire social harmony and stability, the only way is to come to the negotiating table in good faith to resolve the Tibet-China dispute, Choedup said. International Campaign for Tibet president Tencho Gyatso said the vote shows that US support for Tibet is only growing stronger even after 65 years of China’s control and occupation. China has been playing a waiting game, hoping that the international community would eventually abandon Tibet, he said. Clearly that is not the case. The Chinese government should take the hint and restart the dialogue process with Tibetan leaders. We thank Congressman McGovern and Chairman McCaul and all the representatives who helped pass the Resolve Tibet Act today, and we look forward to working with Sens. Merkley and Young, as well as our supporters across the country, to make this bill the law of the land, he said.