US Delegations led by House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi meeting monks of Sera Monastery in Tibet
Photo: Leader Nancy Pelosi’s office
Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Leader of the United States House of Representatives and one of the most prominent international supporters of the Dalai Lama, made a historic unannounced visit to Lhasa in Tibet, Hong Kong and Beijing in early November. This was the first Congressional delegation to enter Tibet since the 2008 unrest there which was marked by protests, demonstrations and violence.
While little was known about the trip, China’s Foreign Ministry described it as part of a “normal exchange” between the two countries. This itself made headlines, owing to China’s usual denial of access to free press or foreign delegations to the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) where Tibetan Buddhists have for decades complained of cultural and religious persecution under Chinese rule. The visit was also unexpected because Pelosi had previously upset Beijing by speaking out for Tibetan rights and by meeting the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing views as a separatist. “If freedom loving people don’t speak out against repression in Tibet, then we have lost all moral authority to speak out on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world,” Pelosi said earlier this year when the House passed a bipartisan resolution urging China to improve human rights in Tibet.
Pelosi – one of the most well known critics of China’s policies and human rights record in Tibet – led a delegation of Congressional Democrats on the trip to China. The delegation visited the Potala Palace in Lhasa, the Jokhang Temple – a sacred destination for religious pilgrims, a Tibetan school and a residential home. They also had discussions with leaders of the TAR and with people from different ethnicities, including monks and nuns, thereby deepening the delegation’s comprehensive understanding of Tibet. During the visit, Pelosi also met the Communist Party Chief Chen Quanguo, who is known for his hardline approach and had warned her that the US government should “respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, commit to not supporting activities aimed at splitting China and not allow the 14th Dalai Lama to wander through again, and not provide any form of support or facilitation to the separatist activities of the ‘Tibetan Independence’ forces.”
US Delegations at a bilateral meeting with leaders of China
Photo:Reuters
The delegation also had candid talks with the Vice Party Secretary of TAR Baima Chilin and Party Secretary of Lhasa Qi Zhala on the importance of respecting Tibet’s autonomy, its ecology, and the human rights and religious freedom of its diverse people. In Beijing, they met the Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Li Keqiang; National People’s Congress Chairman Zhang Dejiang and National People’s Congress Vice Chairman, Zhang Ping. They emphasised the need to respect religious freedom and expression in Tibet, autonomy and democracy in Hong Kong, and human and women’s rights across China. President Obama and President Xi’s agreements on climate change, protection of cyber space and countering the proliferation of nuclear weapons were also touched upon.
In Hong Kong, the delegation met Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung to discuss the importance of the US-Hong Kong bilateral relationship, as well as several Pan-Democratic, Labour and Liberal Party legislators, civil society activists and student leaders to talk about preserving Hong Kong’s autonomy, advancing democracy, and protecting the rule of law and human rights.
Reporting the visit, the Chinese state media claimed that Pelosi gave high praise to the changes in the new Tibet and the “hard work of the Chinese government in protecting religious freedom, preserving traditional ethnic culture, and protecting the ecology and environment, among other things”. This language is consistent with the usual practice by official Chinese news organisations to misquote prominent visitors.
Press conference on US Delegation’s historic visit to Tibet
Photo: Voice of America
Following the trip, Pelosi issued a statement saying that the “delegation was grateful for the opportunity to travel to Lhasa, Tibet to observe, learn and listen about life on the Tibetan plateau”. Among the Congressional delegates was Representative Jim McGovern, who has been instrumental in introducing bipartisan legislation to promote travel by Americans to Tibetan areas where access is routinely denied by Chinese authorities. The delegation also included Betty McCollum, Tim Walz, Joyce Beatty, Alan Lowenthal and Ted Lieu. “We welcome this initiative by the US Congressional delegation led by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. The visit is evidence that Ms Pelosi and the United States Congress care deeply about Tibet, and it also sends a strong signal to the Chinese authorities that access to Tibet is of great concern to the US Government, putting Tibet squarely back in the spotlight of international diplomacy,” said Matteo Mecacci, President of the International Campaign for Tibet.
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