(TibetanReview.net, Jul19’24) – Tibetan communities across India have been holding ‘Thank You USA’ events to express gratitude to the USA following the signing of the ‘Resolve Tibet Act” by President Joe Biden on Jul 12. However, a small section of Tibetans is not happy with President Biden’s reiteration of continued US policy of recognizing Tibet as part of China. On the other hand, an International Tibet Independence Campaign Network Congress held just recently in Toronto, Canada, does not appear to have taken a stand on it.
On Jul 17, the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE), Khenpo Sonam Tenphel; Officiating Sikyong Ms Dolma Gyari; Members of the Standing Committee of TPiE; and Secretaries and the staff of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) gathered in the Sikyong Hall to show gratitude to the people and the Gov’t of the United States for adopting the ‘Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act’ also known as the ‘Resolve Tibet Act’ into law, said the CTA on its Tibet.net website Jul 18.
The Officiating Sikyong has said the new legislation strengthens the United States’ dedication to advancing the Tibetan people’s aspirations for self-governance and human rights.
The website carried reports of ‘Thank You USA’ events held by Tibetan communities across India, including in Bhandara Norgyeling Tibetan Settlement, Kullu, Paonta Cholsum Tibetan Settlement, Shillong, Mundgod, Gangtok, Shimla, Varanasi, Tenzingang, Rabgayling, Herbertpur, Dehradun, Bir, and Puruwala, besides Sydney in Australia.
However, the New York and New Jersey chapter of a group called Tibetan National Congress has written to President Biden, saying: “We appreciate your signing of S. 138, the Promoting a Resolution Act. However, we were disheartened by your subsequent statement. Although you expressed support for freedom, democracy, and human rights for Tibetans, your recognition of Tibet as part of China contradicts these values. Tibet has never been a part of China, and we continue to struggle for our freedom from communist China.”
While all this may be true, it remains doubtful if the legislation would at all have been passed by the Congress or signed by President Biden if it was one for recognizing Tibet. This is because recognition is an altogether different ballgame.
On the other hand, by recognizing Tibetan people’s right to self-determination, the USA has granted more than just autonomy under Chinese sovereignty that that CTA asks for.
Indeed, a four-point statement and a nine-point resolution said to have been released Jul 15 at the conclusion of the 7th International Rangzen Conference does not appear to have taken a stand on the latest US legislation. The Jul 13-15 conference was stated to have brought together over 250 participants from Canada, the USA, Australia, Europe, and India, with Bradd Redekopp, a Canadian Member of Parliament, as the chief guest.
The conference is a gathering of Tibetans seeking independence from Chinese rule and has asked the CTA to revert to this goal. The inaugural event was held at Dharamshala, India, on Jun 27, 2012. Subsequent events were held in New Delhi (2015), New York (2016), Paris (2017), Dharamshala (2018), and New Delhi again (2023). The eighth conference will be held in Australia next year.
The CTA seeks meaningful autonomy for Tibet as envisaged by the Dalai Lama who authored this ‘middle way policy’ in the 1980’s and sees it as mutually beneficial to the two sides. It has been carrying out a middle way policy education programme across the Tibetan settlements.
While proponents and supporters of the ‘middle way policy’ insist that it is realistic and achievable, independence supporters reject this assumption, saying history bears witness to the fact that China can never be trusted.