DHARAMSALA, India (AP) — A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation Dalai Lama The speech, delivered on Wednesday at his home in the Indian city of Dharamsala, angered China, which views the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism as a dangerous separatist.
This is what Washington and Beijing recently Negotiations resume after years of turmoil This began after the imposition of tariffs on Chinese products under the Trump administration, and relations have deteriorated further in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising military tensions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
A high-level delegation led by Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, arrived Tuesday in the hill country town where the Nobel Peace Prize winner has been based since fleeing Syria. Tibet After the failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule, they met with officials from the Tibetan government-in-exile who wanted greater autonomy for Tibet.
Beijing does not recognise the government-in-exile and has not held any dialogue with representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010.
Seven U.S. lawmakers met with the spiritual leader on Wednesday before gathering at a temple just outside the 88-year-old Dalai Lama’s residence, where he addressed a crowd of several hundred people waving American and Tibetan flags.
They told the crowd that a key focus of their visit was to highlight the Tibet Issue Resolution Bill passed by the US Congress last week and to foster dialogue between the Dalai Lama and Chinese authorities in the hope of a peaceful resolution between Tibet and Beijing. The bill now heads to the White House to be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
“It sends a message to the Chinese government that our thinking and our understanding on the issue of Tibetan freedom is clear,” Pelosi said to applause.
Republican Representative McCaul said the bill reaffirms America’s support for the Tibetan people’s right to self-determination. “Just this week, our delegation received a letter from the Chinese Communist Party warning us not to come here. But we have not succumbed to the Chinese Communist Party’s intimidation and we are here today,” McCaul said as crowds cheered.
But the visit and the newly passed bill sparked immediate backlash from Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Tuesday urged Washington not to support Tibetan independence, saying the White House “must not sign the bill” or China would take “resolute measures”, without elaborating on what those measures might be.
“Everyone knows that the 14th Dalai Lama is not a pure religious leader, but a political exile who engages in anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion,” Lin added, urging the US side to “avoid any contact with the Dalai Lama organization in any way and stop sending wrong messages to the world.”
The Dalai Lama denies being a separatist and says he only advocates substantial autonomy and the protection of Tibet’s unique Buddhist culture.
Tibetan spiritual leader appointed by Jimmy Carter Barack Obama Except for Donald Trump, who has yet to meet Biden since taking office in 2021.
The Dalai Lama is due to fly to the United States on Thursday for treatment on his knee, but it is unclear whether he will meet with officials during his stay.
Meanwhile, Beijing has repeatedly urged the US not to interfere in Tibet affairs. The government maintained that the Tibetan people had enjoyed social stability and economic growth under its rule.
India considers Tibet to be part of China but accepts Tibetan exiles.
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Associated Press writer Didi Tan in Washington contributed to this report. Pati reported from New Delhi.
