NEW DELHI: The House of Representatives has passed a bill that aims to resolve the Tibet-China dispute through dialogue with Tibetan leaders. The bipartisan ‘Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act’, also known as Resolve Tibet Act, pressures China to resume negotiations with the Dalai Lama’s envoys or democratically elected leaders of the Tibetan people.
The bill dismisses China’s claim that Tibet has always been part of China and empowers the State Department to counter China’s disinformation about Tibetan history, people, and institutions. A similar legislation was introduced by Senators Jeff Merkley and Todd Young. Congressman Jim McGovern, one of the bill’s sponsors, said, ‘A vote for this bill is a vote to recognize the rights of the Tibetan people. And it is a vote to insist on resolving the dispute peacefully, through dialogue, without preconditions. There is still an opportunity to do this, but time is running out.’ The bill also emphasizes the need for a direct dialogue between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the democratically elected leaders of Tibet, with any resolution being peaceful and inclusive of the Tibetan people’s voice.
Congressman Kathy Manning highlighted that Beijing has refused to engage in dialogue with the Dalai Lama and his representatives since 2010, failing to fulfill its international obligations. She also criticized China’s disinformation campaign aimed at distorting Tibet’s history. “At the same time Beijing has unleashed a disinformation campaign to mislead the world about Tibet and its history,
he said. Congressman Chris Smith raised concerns about threats to Tibetans in Tibet and the CCP’s surveillance and harassment of the Tibetan diaspora in the United States, India, and Nepal. He accused the CCP of engaging in crimes against humanity in Tibet. “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 able in good faith to resolve the Tibet-China dispute,” Choedup added.
The Central Tibetan Administration to North America expressed gratitude for the bipartisan support in the US Congress. Representative Namgyal Choedup said the bill’s passage would boost the determination and resilience of the Tibetan people. Choedup called on the Chinese regime under Xi Jinping to come to the negotiating table in good faith to resolve the Tibet-China dispute. Tencho Gyatso, president of the International Campaign for Tibet, noted that the vote demonstrates growing US support for Tibet despite China’s control and occupation. Gyatso urged the Chinese government to restart the dialogue process with Tibetan leaders. “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.
