(TibetanReview.net, Feb18’26) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Feb 17 extended greetings to the Tibetan people across the globe on their Losar (New Year) celebrations that began on Feb 18, expressed continued commitment to their inalienable right to preserve their identity while also announcing the appointment of the Trump Administration’s new Special Coordinator for Tibetan issues. The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) at Dharamshala, India, welcomed the appointment; but China condemned it, calling it an interference in its internal affairs.
“I extend my warmest wishes to all those celebrating Losar, the Tibetan New Year. On this first day of the Year of the Fire Horse, we celebrate the fortitude and resilience of Tibetans around the world. The United States remains committed to supporting the unalienable rights of Tibetans and their distinct linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage,” Rubio said in a statement for the occasion.
Expressing his wish to “Tibetans everywhere a healthy and prosperous year ahead. Losar Tashi Delek and Happy New Year!” Rubio also announced the appointment of Mr Riley M Barnes, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, as the United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues.
And Special Coordinator Barnes began his term right in earnest by hosting the State Department’s annual celebration of Losar on Feb 17, 2026.
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Created by the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, the top USA official on Tibetan issues is primarily responsible for promoting meaningful dialogue on Tibetan autonomy between the People’s Republic of China and His Holiness the Dalai Lama or his representatives; protecting the unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity of Tibetans; pressing China to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people; promoting access to Tibet; coordinating US efforts to address the humanitarian needs of Tibetan refugees; promoting sustainable economic development and environmental conservation on the Tibetan Plateau; and countering China’s disinformation on Tibet and the institution of the Dalai Lama.
Expressing gratitude to the announcement of the appointment, the CTA hoped the appointment would strengthen efforts to protect Tibetan religious, cultural and linguistic identity and encourage dialogue on Tibet.
“We are indeed grateful to President Donald J Trump and Senator Marco Rubio for this important appointment and congratulate Assistant Secretary Riley M Barnes on his new role as the US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues,” said Karma Choeying, Secretary of the CTA’s Department of International Relations.
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Beijing, on the other hand, condemned Barnes’s appointment, with its foreign ministry accusing the US of “using Tibet-related issues to interfere in China’s internal affairs”.
“The US’s establishment of the so-called ‘special coordinator for Tibetan issues’ interferes with China’s internal affairs, and China has never recognised it,” the AFP Feb 18 quoted the ministry as saying in a statement that day.
“Tibet affairs are China’s internal affairs and tolerate no interference from any external forces,” it was reported to have added.
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Successive US administrations have designated senior officials to serve concurrently in that role since the appointment of Greg Craig on Oct 31, 1997.
However, President Donald Trump in his first term made the appointment only on Oct 14, 2020, which meant Robert Destro could serve on that position only for about three months, as the President’s term ended on Jan 20, 2021.
The new Assistant Secretary Barnes has held several senior positions at the State Department, and previously visited Dharamsala, India, to meet with Tibetan leaders in 2019 and 2025, noted Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet (savetibet.org) Feb 17.