American policy to promote dialogue between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Dalai Lama toward a peaceful resolution of their ongoing conflict would be bolstered under a bipartisan bill unveiled by U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX).
“The Chinese Communist Party’s [CCP’s] invasion of Tibet in 1950, and its repression of Tibetans ever since, set the stage for the CCP’s ongoing territorial aggression and human rights atrocities,” said Rep. McCaul, ranking member on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Their attempts to steal people’s’ freedoms and rewrite history continue to threaten American values and our national security interests today.
“This bipartisan bill will help ensure Tibetans have a say in their own future and reject the CCP lie that their tyranny over Tibet is historically legitimate,” the congressman added.
Rep. McCaul on July 13 introduced the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act, H.R. 8365, with bill sponsor U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) to help jump-start negotiations, which haven’t happened since 2010, according to their offices.
“Congress has had a long and abiding interest in a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Tibet and China,” Rep. McGovern said. “Our bipartisan legislation seeks to strengthen U.S. policy by grounding it in international law and countering Chinese disinformation, with the aim of getting the two sides to negotiate a durable solution.”
According to a bill summary provided by Rep. McCaul’s staff, H.R. 8365 has two components: strengthen the basis for U.S. support for dialogue by making it U.S. policy that the Tibetan people are a people entitled to the right of self-determination under international law and that their ability to exercise this right is precluded by the current PRC policies; and that the conflict between Tibet and the PRC is unresolved, and that the legal status of Tibet remains to be determined in accordance with international law.
The measure also would require the annual Report on Tibet Negotiations to Congress on the Executive Branch’s activities to counter PRC disinformation about Tibet, the summary says.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee received the bill for consideration.