Legislation tabled in US House to resolve China-Dalai Lama conflict

Washington, February 10

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced a legislation in the US House of Representatives and the Senate to strengthen America’s policy to jump-start a dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama that advance freedoms for the Tibetan people and peaceful resolution of their differences over Tibet.

Tibetans deserve to have rights

The Tibetans are a people who deserve to have their rights respected under international law. This includes the right of self-determination, which they have been denied by China. Jim McGovern, US CONGRESSMAN

‘Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act’ was introduced by Congressman Jim McGovern and Michael McCaul in the House and Senators Jeff Merkley and Todd Young in the Senate.

It seeks to empower the US government to achieve its long-standing goal of getting Tibetans and Chinese authorities to resolve their differences peacefully through dialogue.

“The Tibetans are a people who deserve to have their rights respected under international law,” McGovern said. “This includes the right of self-determination, which they have been denied by the Chinese government and the international community,” he added.

“The Biden administration has been vocal about Ukrainians’ rights to decide how they are governed, and the Tibetan people are no less entitled to this right under founding UN covenants. Our bipartisan bill can help incentivise the two sides to negotiate a durable solution,” he said.

The legislation seeks to jump-start negotiations between China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives. No formal dialogue has happened since 2010, and Chinese officials continue to make unreasonable demands from the Dalai Lama as a condition for further dialogue, a media release said.

The 14th Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 following a Chinese crackdown on an uprising by the local population in Tibet. India granted him political asylum and the Tibetan government-in-exile has been based in Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh since then.

Beijing has in the past accused the Dalai Lama of indulging in “separatist” activities and trying to split Tibet and considers him a divisive figure.

However, the Tibetan spiritual leader has insisted that he is not seeking independence but “genuine autonomy for all Tibetans living in the three traditional provinces of Tibet” under the “Middle-Way approach”.

McCaul alleged that the Chinese Communist Party continues to oppress the Tibetan people.