President Biden on Friday signed a bill calling on China to restore ties with Tibet and its leaders.
of legislationThe bill, titled the Tibet-China Dispute Resolution Promotion Act, has broad bipartisan support and would encourage China and Tibet to resolve their long-standing dispute over governance of Tibet.
Biden thanked lawmakers who led the resolution’s passage in the Senate in May and the House of Representatives in June.
“I support the bipartisan efforts in Congress to advance the human rights of Tibetans and support efforts to protect their unique linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage.” Biden wrote.
The bill would allow State Department officials to “actively and directly” counter disinformation about Tibet spread by the Chinese government, including by denying the false claim that Tibet has been part of China since “ancient times,” House members of the Foreign Relations Committee said in a June session of Congress. press release.
It would also allow the United States to pressure the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government to negotiate about the future of Tibet, the lawmakers noted, adding that no formal talks have taken place between Tibetan and Chinese authorities since 2010.
The Biden administration will continue to urge China to resume direct dialogue with Tibet, he said.
Even if the president signs the bill into law, it will not change the long-standing U.S. policy of recognising Tibet as an autonomous region.
“Recognizing foreign nations and their territorial boundaries is a policy decision within my authority,” Biden said.
Shortly after the bill passed the House last month, a congressional delegation met with the Dalai Lama in Tibet, angering China.
