Congressional letters call on Biden’s Tibet coordinator to take action.

Dharamshala, 15th December: In an unprecedented move, over 60 members of Congress say in new Senate and House bipartisan letters that the Biden administration’s presumptive Tibet coordinator should push for a meeting between President Biden and the Dalai Lama, full implementation of US laws on Tibet, an end to the practice of referring to Tibet as part of China, and more.

The letters to Under Secretary of State Uzra Zeya are the latest example of Congress’ growing interest in Tibet, a historically sovereign country that has been forcibly controlled by the Chinese government for more than 60 years. Zeya’s appointment as the State Department’s special coordinator for Tibetan issues is likely to be announced soon.

In the Senate, Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., led the letters, while in the House, Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and Chris Smith, R-NJ, led the letters. Congress’ unwavering support for His Holiness the Dalai Lama, religious freedom, and basic human rights was demonstrated once again by the large, diverse, and nonpartisan group of signers.

Zeya is now the undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy, and human rights, a role that has previously functioned as the special coordinator. The appointment of the special coordinator is required by the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002.

The letters to Zeya outline ten areas on Tibet where Congress and the Biden administration can collaborate, including:

• Engaging with the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration, which oversees Tibetan exiles’ democratic rule. According to the letters, President Biden should call the Dalai Lama to the Oval Office, as numerous of his predecessors have done, or meet with him in Dharmashala, India, where his holiness lives.
• Defending the Dalai Lama’s succession from Chinese interference. The Chinese government intends to appoint the 86-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader’s successor. However, according to the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020, only the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Buddhist community have the authority to decide on his succession. According to the TPSA, the administration must “operate with like-minded states” to “confirm this value as the worldwide standard.”
• Access to Tibet is being demanded. The letters urge Zeya to fully execute the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018, which encourages US journalists, diplomats, and ordinary individuals to visit Tibet. The letters ask Zeya to keep Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s promise to set up a Tibet unit at the US Embassy in Beijing. They also express Congress members’ support for the TPSA’s proposal to open a US consulate in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital.
• Tibetans are being invited back to the table. Over a decade has passed since the previous round of Sino-Tibetan talks. The Chinese administration has refused to hold further negotiations since then, claiming that the Dalai Lama must first agree to arbitrary preconditions. “We encourage the US government to engage sincerely with both sides, like-minded partners, and experts to explore creative techniques that could result in forwarding movement” on resuming discussions, according to the letters.
• The vocabulary used to describe Tibet’s status is evolving. The State Department’s 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices do not refer to Tibetan territories as “part of the People’s Republic of China,” as previous reports have done. Members of Congress are urging the State Department to keep that term out of the bill, both to foster dialogue without preconditions and to respect Tibetans’ rights and history.

The letters also demand that Tibetan political prisoners, Tibetan refugees in Nepal, Tibetan language and culture, and other causes be supported.

Read the House and Senate letters to Under Secretary Zeya Here.Congressional letters urge action from Biden Tibet coordinator