(TibetanReview.net, Jul13’24) – Despite firm opposition and threats of retaliation from China, US President Joe Biden has on Jul 12 signed into law a legislation that, apart from many other things, requires Washington to actively support the Tibetan people’s right to self-determination, given the fact that Beijing’s claim of Tibet being part of its sovereign dominion since ancient times is bogus.
“Today, I have signed into law S. 138, the ‘Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act’ (the ‘Act’). I share the Congress’s bipartisan commitment to advancing the human rights of Tibetans and supporting efforts to preserve their distinct linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage,” said President Biden in a White House Briefing Room statement.
The statement made it clear, however, that as far as the US is concerned, Tibet, as at present, is still a part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“The Act does not change longstanding bipartisan United States policy to recognize the Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas of China as part of the People’s Republic of China – a policy decision that falls within my authority to recognize foreign states and the territorial bounds of such states.”
But China is not amused and has vowed to retaliate if the US implements the Act.
Earlier, after the bill for the legislation was passed in its final form by the House in June, following amendments in the Senate, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian warned, “The US should not sign the bill. China will take resolute measures to defend its sovereignty, security and development interests.”
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The legislation – Resolve Tibet Act, in short – makes it a US policy that the dispute between Tibet and China remains unresolved in accordance with international law.
It empowers the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues to actively and directly counter disinformation about Tibet from the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including working to ensure that US government statements and documents counter disinformation about Tibet.
Tellingly, it rejects as “inaccurate” China’s false claims that Tibet has been part of China since “ancient times.”
It also seeks to promote substantive dialogue without preconditions between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama or his representatives or the democratically elected leaders of the Tibetan community, with the US exploring means to improve prospects for dialogue leading to a negotiated agreement on Tibet.
Also, it assigns responsibility to the State Department to coordinate with other governments in multilateral efforts toward the goal of a negotiated agreement on Tibet.
And it encourages the Chinese government to address the aspirations of the Tibetan people regarding their distinct historical, cultural, religious and linguistic identity.
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During his recent visit to Dharamshala, leading a bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-TX, and chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. said: “We are here just one week after the House of Representatives and the Congress passed the Resolve Tibet Act. This bill makes it clear the United States believes Tibet has its own unique language, religion and culture, and has a right to self-determination. The bill also requires the State Department to aggressively challenge CCP propaganda about Tibet.”
Expressing thrill at Biden’s signing of the legislation, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-MA, who played a key role in piloting it, has said: “The United States once again affirms our strong support for the rights of the Tibetan people under international law, including their right to self-determination.
With its bipartisan passage, we hope to restart dialogue between Tibet and China to resolve the decades-long dispute over Tibet’s autonomy and governance in keeping with US policy. The Tibetans are willing; the People’s Republic of China should come to the table.”
Likewise, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-OR, has said: “All people should have the right to live in peace and decide their own future. But the people of Tibet have not had those freedoms for more than 70 years. We just took an important step toward changing that.”
He has made it clear: “This bill empowers the State Department to counter the Chinese government’s attempt to rewrite or in some cases erase history, and it encourages dialogue between the leaders of Tibet and China to reach a peaceful resolution.”
And Sen. Todd Young, R-IN, has spoken of how he had worked with his colleague Jeff Merkley over the past several years on this legislation to encourage a peaceful resolution to the dispute between Tibet and China.
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Meanwhile, after failing to prevent President Biden from signing the bill with threats of retaliation, China on Jul 13 asked the US not to implement it while criticizing it severely.
The Act undermines China’s interests, grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs, and sent a severely wrong signal to the “Tibet independence” forces, China’s official chinadaily.com.cn Jul 13 cited a statement issued by a spokesperson of China’s Foreign Ministry as saying.
“Such attempts will never succeed,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying, while urging the US to take concrete actions to honor its commitments of recognizing Xizang as part of China and not supporting “Tibet independence.”
“If the US continues down the wrong path, China will take resolute measures to firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests,” the spokesperson has said.