This law will amplify our ability to echo the will of the Tibetan people, especially those within Tibet, who have never accepted China’s 65 year illegal occupation of their homeland.
What is the “Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet China Conflict Act”?
“Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet China Conflict Act” is a bipartisan, bicameral legislation introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Congressman Jim MacGovern (D-MA) along with Senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). The legislation would:
- Makes it official US policy that the conflict between Tibet and China remains unresolved regardless of the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda machine.
- Recognizes that Tibetans have a right to self-determination—and that Beijing’s policies preclude them from exercising that right.
- Makes clear that Tibet includes not only the so-called “Tibet Autonomous Region” of China but also Tibetan areas that are incorporated in Gansu, Sichuan, Qinghai and Yunnan provinces.
- Rejects as “historically false” claims that Tibet has been part of China since ancient times.
- Empowers the Office of the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues to counter Communist Party disinformation about the history of Tibet, the Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
- Faults the Chinese government for failing to meet expectations of participating in dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives.
“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 the Chinese government and the international community. 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 incentivize the two sides to negotiate a durable solution.”
-Congressman Jim McGovern.