(TibetanReview.net, Aug22’24) – The top US official on Tibetan issues has on Aug 21 met with Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in New York City, prompting China to make what it said was “serious protest” with Washington the next day.
The Dalai Lama, 89, has been in New York since Jun 23 for knee replacement surgery. The meeting with the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Under Secretary Uzra Zeya, was his first meeting with a senior US government official during his current sojourn.
Ms Zeya, who is also the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, was accompanied by Kelly Razzouk, Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council Senior Director for Democracy and Human Rights.
“During the audience, she conveyed, on behalf of President Biden, best wishes for His Holiness’s good health and reaffirmed the US commitment to advancing the human rights of Tibetans and supporting efforts to preserve their distinct historical, linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage,” said the Office of the State Department Spokesperson in a media note Aug 21.
“Under Secretary Zeya welcomed His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s lifelong dedication to promoting nonviolence and compassion. The Under Secretary also took the opportunity to discuss with His Holiness Tibetan cultural preservation, the United States’ ongoing efforts to address human rights abuses inside Tibet, and support for resuming dialogue between the PRC and His Holiness and his representatives,” the note said
* * *
The Chinese criticism came in response to a question from the AFP during Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning’s Regular Press Conference.
“China firmly opposes any country allowing the Dalai Lama to make visits under any pretext and opposes government officials of any country meeting with the Dalai Lama in any form. We’ve made serious protest with the US,” the foreign ministry website quoted Mao as saying in her remarks.
She has sought to make the point that “the 14th Dalai Lama is not a pure religious figure, still less a figure promoting ‘non-violence’ and ‘peace’, but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion.”
Mao has further said: “We urge the US to fully understand the gravity and sensitivity of Xizang-related issues, be fully aware of the Dalai group’s anti-China and separatist nature, honour the commitments the US has made to China on issues related to Xizang, truly respect China’s core interests and major concerns, not allow the Dalai Lama to engage in political separatist activities in the US, have no contact with the Dalai Lama in any form, and stop sending the wrong message to the world.”
Xizang is China’s name for Tibet Autonomous Region, which is roughly the western half of Tibet proper.
* * *
The Dalai Lama is to attend a long-life prayer ceremony being offered by Tibetans, Mongolians and people of Himalayan communities based in North America in the UBS Arena in New York on Aug 22. He will then leave for Zurich where the Tibetan communities in Switzerland and Lichtenstein will also make a long-life ceremonial offering to him in the Hallenstadion on Aug 25.
This is the Dalai Lama’s first visit to the USA since 2017. He has been reported to be recovering well from his knee surgery and is expected to be back at Dharamshala, his exile home, on Aug 28.
Earlier, Dr David Mayman, MD, Chief of the Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement Service at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, said last month that the Dalai Lama was expected to continue improving over the next six to 12 months.
Other meetings with US leaders seem unlikely, given the fact that the Dalai Lama is leaving the US on Aug 23.
In 2020, Candidate Joe Biden criticized then President Donald Trump for being the only president in three decades who had not met or spoken with the Tibetan spiritual leader, calling it “disgraceful,” noted Reuters Aug 21.