US policy on Tibet has lost its way, say US lawmakers
Oct 20, 2022
Washington [US], October 20 : The US policy on Tibet has lost its way and two prominent lawmakers --- Chairman of the House Rules Committee Jim McGovern, and Lead Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul --- wish to change that.
The pro-Tibet bill introduced in US Congress, in July this year, plans to take concrete action to resolve China's decades-long illegal occupation of Tibet by fully recognizing Tibet's unresolved status and faulting China for violating the Tibetan people's right to self-determination.
The 'Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act' faults China for failing to meet expectations of participating in dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives and recognising that Tibetans have a right to self-determination--and that China's policies preclude them from exercising that right.
The promotion of resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act will affirm the US position that Tibet's legal status remains to be determined under international law, despite more than six decades of China's illegal occupation and the Chinese government's disinformation falsely claiming that Tibet has been part of China since ancient times.
In a joint write-up for The Diplomat magazine, McGovern and McCaul said their bill intends to push back on lies, and the human rights atrocities that China perpetuates. "We believe that our new bill, the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act, will do just that," they wrote last week.
For years, the two US lawmakers said Chinese officials have attempted to rewrite history in order to further their own agenda and systematically deny entire groups of people even the most basic freedoms.
"For example, consider Tibet. In 1950, the People's Liberation Army occupied Tibet, the first-ever CCP presence on Tibetan soil. A decade of broken promises about autonomy led to a revolt in 1959, and the PRC unilaterally asserted its right to rule," they said.
In recent years, the US has also passed several pieces of legislation on Tibet as it continues to support the nation against Chinese atrocities.
During the 2020 presidential campaign, then-candidate Joe Biden promised to "work with our allies in pressing Beijing to return to direct dialogue with the representatives of the Tibetan people to achieve meaningful autonomy, respect for human rights, and the preservation of Tibet's environment as well as its unique cultural, linguistic and religious traditions."
