(TibetanReview.net, Apr02’25) – Without addressing the underlying issues, China on Apr 1 condemned the United States for allegedly interfering in Tibet and China’s affairs after Secretary of State Marco Rubio had announced the day before visa restrictions on unspecified Chinese officials responsible for denying reciprocal access to the Tibetan territories under its rule.
In his statement announcing the imposition of sanctions, Rubio said China had refused to afford US diplomats, journalists, and other international observers access to Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas under Chinese rule and hence announced the imposition of additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials involved in the formulation or execution of policies related to access for foreigners to these areas, pursuant to the country’s Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act.
Responding to Rubio’s statement, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun has said Apr 1 that the actions of the US are what he has called a “blatant interference in Xizang affairs and China’s internal affairs, seriously violating international law and the basic principles of international relations,” using the Sinicized name for Tibet.
“China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firmly opposes this,” China’s official globaltimes.cn Apr 1 quoted Guo as saying.
Guo has maintained that “Xizang is open” and China “has never imposed restrictions on foreign access”, which everyone knows is simply not true.
Xizang receives a large number of foreign tourists and visitors from various sectors annually, with 320,000 foreign tourist visits recorded in 2024, Guo has said.
However, any non-Chinese tourist visiting Tibet has to obtain a special permit and must travel in a strictly supervised group. Journalists, human rights activists, researchers diplomats and others, including UN human rights experts are banned from accessing Tibet.
Justifying those restrictions, Guo has sought to explain: “considering Xizang’s unique geographical and climatic conditions, the Chinese government has implemented certain management and protective measures for foreign visitors to Xizang in accordance with the law, which is entirely necessary.”
Guo has claimed, “China welcomes friends from afar to visit and do business in Xizang.”
He has then sought to justify the exclusion of visitors such as journalists, researchers, human rights activists and others it does not approve of by saying, “the prerequisite is that necessary procedures are duly observed in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations.”
He has then continued: “We oppose the baseless smear campaign against the current state of human rights, religion, and cultural development in Xizang, and we reject the actions of foreign officials who, under the pretext of fulfilling their duties in Xizang, engage in interference and sabotage.”
China considers any criticism of its human rights record in Tibet as support for Tibet’s independence and interference in its internal affairs. In keeping with it, Guo has sought to urge the US to “honour its commitments regarding the Xizang issue, stop condoning and supporting ‘Xizang independence’ forces, and cease interfering in China’s internal affairs under the guise of Xizang-related issues.”
Guo has vowed that “China will take necessary measures to firmly counteract the erroneous actions of the US with resolute reciprocal responses.”