(TibetanReview.net, Nov06’26) – As the 6th Summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) convened in The Hague over Nov 5-6, bringing together 52 lawmakers from 30 countries across six continents to discuss coordinated responses to the challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the executive head of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has called on members to move beyond expressions of concern and translate the group’s commitments into concrete and coordinated action, said the CTA on its Tibet.net website Nov 6.
Delivering a keynote address as a “lightning speaker”, Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the CTA has urged coordinated international action and policy commitments regarding Tibet. He has stressed that the CTA’s pursuit of dialogue and reconciliation did not diminish Tibet’s historical and legal rights under international law. He has called on governments to counter China’s historical misinformation through appropriate legislation, parliamentary resolutions and official declarations, citing the United States’ Resolve Tibet Act as an important example.
He has urged the lawmakers gathered at the event to adopt positions similar to those taken by the United States and seven European countries—the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Iceland, Lithuania and Estonia—which have expressed support for the religious freedom of Tibetan Buddhists and opposed Chinese government interference in the reincarnation process.
On broader issues concerning the situation in Tibet, the Tibetan Sikyong has highlighted the deteriorating situation there and warned that China’s forced assimilation policies posed an existential threat to Tibet’s distinct language, religion, culture and identity. He has described these policies as amounting to cultural genocide and called on lawmakers across the world to take concrete measures to help protect Tibet’s cultural heritage and the fundamental rights of the Tibetan people.
He has also drawn attention to the environmental significance of the Tibetan Plateau, warning of wider regional and global consequences of China’s large-scale infrastructure and hydropower projects.
He has called on Members of the European Parliament to work towards the appointment of an EU Special Representative for Tibet to strengthen and coordinate the European Union’s engagement on Tibet, thereby moving beyond statements of support to demonstrate commitment through meaningful political and diplomatic action.
Other “lightning speakers” have included Rear Admiral Jay Tarriela, Spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard; Kit Conklin, Chief Strategy and Global Affairs Officer, Exiger; Senator Eliot Bostar from United States’ Nebraska Legislature and Republican Representative Candice Pierucci Republican from the United States’ Utah House of Representatives, who shared their perspectives on issues concerning China and its local and global implications.
On the sidelines of the summit, the Tibetan Sikyong has held separate meetings with Jan Paternotte, Co-Chair of IPAC, and expressed appreciation for his continued commitment efforts to advance parliamentary engagement on Tibet in the Dutch Parliament.
He has also interacted with lawmakers from Panama, MEP Miriam Lexmann, as well lawmakers from Japan, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Romania, the Balkans and other countries, including from the United States.
IPAC is an international, cross-party alliance of parliamentarians, mostly from liberal democratic countries, focused on relations with the PRC, and specifically, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It was established on Jun 4, 2020, on the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. The alliance comprises over 290 members from 43 legislatures and the European Parliament. Each legislature represented takes turns to chair the alliance on a rotating basis. Its purpose is to create a coordinated response to China on global trade, security and human rights.