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With China increasing its stronghold in Tibet, United States lawmakers are promoting a bill increasing political and diplomatic support for the Tibetan people, particularly on the issue of the reincarnation of the next Dalai Lama.
The Tibetan issue has always been bipartisan and the new bill builds on the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (TPA), a pivotal legislation that was the start of US support for Tibet. It is expected to be introduced in the Senate this week by the commission’s Co-Chair Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and others.
The passing of the TPA in 2002 had several consequences. One of them is that there have been no talks between the Dalai Lama’s representatives and the Chinese government since 2010. The Dalai Lama retired from politics in 2011 and issued a landmark statement regarding his succession saying that the continuation of the Dalai Lama institution was solely at the discretion of Tibetans and those following Tibetan Buddhism.
The Chinese government has stated in the past that the next Dalai Lama must comply with their laws which ignore Tibet’s long history and infringe the Tibetans’ fundamental right to religious freedom.
These developments necessitated the updating and revision of the existing TPA. The new bill is entitled H.R.4331’ – To modify and reauthorize the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, and for other purposes.
The new bill seeks to amend the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 and the National Defense Authorization Act of 2000. Under the new bill, any Chinese official found complicit in identifying or installing a future Dalai Lama will face sanctions that could include having their assets frozen and their entry to the US denied.
The bill calls on the appointment of a special coordinator for Tibetan issues in the State Department to build international diplomatic coalitions to oppose Chinese efforts interfering in the Dalai Lama’s succession. They will also be responsible for addressing the legitimate grievances of the Tibetan people and to work towards them achieving basic rights and religious freedom. No fewer than three people will be assigned to work in the special coordinator’s office.
The bill would also provide for the allocation of funds for skilled development, entrepreneurship and cultural preservation of Tibetan exiles in South Asia. The Nepalese government will be urged to provide legal documentation to long-term Tibetan residents.
In addition, the bill focuses on the environmental issues within Tibet as nearly one billion people, inside and outside Tibet, depend on its freshwater. A regional framework on water security will be established and monitored through collaborations. NGOs, Tibetan nomads, and other Tibetans will be engaged for using their experience to work on the preservation of their grasslands.
The bill mandates that the Secretary of State will “not authorize the establishment in the United States of any additional consulate of the People’s Republic of China until such time as a United States consulate in Lhasa, Tibet, is established.”
It also says all Tibetan areas should be under one consular district of the US Embassy in China. Currently, Tibetan affairs are handled by multiple consulates. The bill gives authority to the CTA as representative of the aspirations of Tibetan people around the world, thus deepening diplomatic support for Tibet.
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