China on Thursday fumed at the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the United States President, Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the Tibet Reciprocal Access bill to make it a law of the country to shape their policies in dealing with China.
China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said on Thursday, a day after Trump signing the bill, it “resolutely opposes” a new US law on Tibet, saying Tibet is an internal affair and that Beijing allows no foreign interference.
Despite many attempts, American diplomats have only had limited access to Tibet and almost no Beijing-based foreign journalists have been able to travel to Tibet to cover the conditions there, including the self-immolations
The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act is based on the diplomatic principle of reciprocity, which calls on countries to give equal rights to one another’s citizens. The legislation calls for American diplomats, journalists and ordinary citizens to have equal access to the Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas as their Chinese counterparts enjoy in the US.
Zhu Weiqun, former head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference reacted to the news that Western countries including the US increased pressure on China which in the Dalai Lama’s view would be an opportunity for his separatism.
Xiong Kunxin, a Chinese professor in Lhasa also reacted that the Dalai Lama has a certain influence on some people who don’t know the truth and revealing and criticizing him could let these people sharpen their eyes.
“I’m glad that the President signed our bill, the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, into law. For too long, China has covered up their human rights violations in Tibet by restricting travel. But actions have consequences, and today, we are one step closer to holding the Chinese officials who implement these restrictions accountable,” said Representative Jim McGovern (D-Mass), who introduced the bill.
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