(TibetanReview.net, Apr17’24) —A bill mandating the US government to pressure China to negotiate with the Dalai Lama or his representatives or the democratically elected exile Tibetan leadership to reach a settlement on the legal status of Tibet has moved closer to being enacted into law with its clearance by a Senate committee on Apr 16, said Washington-based Tibet campaign group International Campaign for Tibet (ICT). The bill also recognizes Tibet as an occupied country and will require the US government to combat China’s propaganda disinformation campaign on this issue.
The bipartisan “Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act” was approved at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at its business meeting on Apr 16, 2024. The development has coincided with the visit of the executive head, Sikyong Mr Penpa Tsering, of Dharamshala-based Central Tibetan Administration, which is effectively the Tibetan government in exile.
The main Agenda of Sikyong Penpa Tsering’s visit to Washington, DC, is to meet with administration officials as well as members of Congress to push for the passage of this legislation which now heads to the full Senate for final debate and possible approval before President Joe Biden could sign it into law, said the ICT on its savetibet.org website Apr 16.
Speaking to the media after the approval, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ben Cardin, acknowledged his discussion with the Tibetan Sikyong the night before and said the bill’s language was precisely the same as that which the Lower House had approved, according to the CTA on its Tibet.net website Apr 17.
The bill was earlier introduced by Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and Todd Young, R-Ind in the two chambers of the US Congress. It was passed by the House of Representatives on Feb 15.
Known as the “Resolve Tibet Act” in short, the bill seeks to make it a US position that the dispute between Tibet and China must be resolved in accordance with international law, including the UN Charter, by peaceful means through dialogue without preconditions.
It also states that the Chinese government’s disinformation campaign, claiming Tibet has been part of China since “ancient times”, is historically inaccurate. For this purpose, the US government is urged to use public diplomacy efforts to “counter disinformation about Tibet” from the Chinese government and Communist Party, including “disinformation about the history of Tibet, the Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions including that of the Dalai Lama.”
In this connection, the State Department’s special coordinator for Tibetan issues is sought to be empowered to work to ensure that US government statements and documents counter Beijing’s disinformation about Tibet.
The bill also encourages Washington to coordinate with other governments in multilateral efforts toward the goal of a negotiated agreement on Tibet.
It also encourages Beijing to address the aspirations of the Tibetan people regarding their distinct historical, cultural, religious and linguistic identity.
Significantly, the proposed legislation makes it clear that Tibet includes not just what China calls Xizang or Xizang Autonomous Region, but also the Tibetan regions that currently constitute or form parts of Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.