US House approves measure on China-Tibet issue

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 approved 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 Dalai Lama’s envoys 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.

“Voting in favor of this bill signifies acknowledging the rights of the Tibetan people.” It is also a vote in favor of pressing for a peaceful, legally-based, non-preconditional resolution of the conflict between Tibet and the People’s Republic of China via discussion. This is still something that can be done. However, time is of the essence, McGovern said.

The law, according to Congressman Young Kim, guarantees Tibetans a voice in their destiny. It emphasizes that the CCP and Tibet’s democratically elected leaders must have a direct conversation and that any conclusion must be peaceful and include the opinions of the Tibetan people.

Congresswoman Kathy Manning said that since 2010, Beijing has also disregarded its international commitments to have talks with the Dalai Lama and his delegates in order to find a peaceful resolution to the Tibet dispute.

He said that Beijing has simultaneously launched a misinformation effort to confuse people about Tibet and its past.

Congressman Chris Smith said that in addition to attempting to monitor and persecute the Tibetan diaspora in the US, India, and Nepal, the Chinese Communist Party is also attempting to expand its oppressive influence overseas. This is in response to threats made against Tibetans in Tibet. He said that the Chinese Communist Party has long committed crimes against humanity in Tibet and against Tibetans in general.

The Central Tibetan Administration to North America stated in a statement that the Tibetan people would always be grateful for the US Congress’s bipartisan support of Tibet.

“Despite the CCP’s cruel and crippling seven decades of persecution, the people of Tibet have never given up hope. The passing of H.R. 533 by the US House, according to Representative Namgyal Choedup, “will boost the determination and resilience of the Tibetan people.”

According to Choedup, “it also sends a clear message to the current regime under Xi Jinping that the only way is to come to the negotiating table in good faith to resolve the Tibet-China dispute if they truly desire social harmony and stability.”

Tencho Gyatso, head of the International Campaign for Tibet, said that the result demonstrates that, after 65 years of Chinese rule and occupation, US support for Tibet is still rising.

He said that China has been waiting, thinking that someday the world will turn its back on Tibet.

It is evident that this is untrue. The Chinese government need to heed the advice and pick up the conversation with the authorities of Tibet. “We express our gratitude to Congressman McGovern, Chairman McCaul, and all other legislators who contributed to the passage of the Resolve Tibet Act today. We also look forward to collaborating with Senators Merkley and Young, as well as our nationwide supporters, to ensure that this bill becomes law,” he stated.