
Meeting of US delegation with Dalai Lama, stern warning from China
Last Updated on June 21, 2024 8:28 am
A US delegation including former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has come to Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama.
China has expressed its displeasure and said that if the US does not consider Tibet as part of China, they will take “stern measures” in this regard.
The seven-member US delegation will meet Buddhist religious leader the Dalai Lama on Thursday. The visit comes at a time when the US Congress is scheduled to discuss a recently passed bill on the Sino-Tibet dispute.
Ahead of the US delegation’s scheduled meeting with the Dalai Lama, China has warned that China will take “stern measures” if the US does not keep its earlier promise not to consider Tibet as part of China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said it is well known that the 14th Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure, but an exiled political figure engaged in anti-Chinese separatist activities in the name of religion.
Lin also urged President Joe Biden not to support the law passed by the US Congress to resolve the Sino-Tibet conflict.
He said, the United States should not sign this bill and make it a law. China will take firm steps to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.
Meanwhile, a lengthy statement issued by the Chinese Embassy in India said, “We urge the United States to understand the anti-Chinese separatist stance of the Dalai Lama group, honor the US commitments to China on Shizhang (as Tibet is called by China). And stop sending the wrong signals to the world.
On the other hand, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Shizhang has always been part of China. Xizang is entirely China’s internal affairs and no outside interference will ever be allowed. No individual or force should attempt to destabilize Shizang with the aim of controlling and suppressing China. Such efforts will never succeed.
He added, “We call on the United States to abide by its commitment to recognize Xizang as part of China and not support the idea of ’Xizang independence’.” China will take strict measures to protect its sovereignty, security and development interests.
The US delegation visiting the Dalai Lama will discuss a special bill, which President Joe Biden is expected to sign into law soon.
The purpose of the bill is to put pressure on China to settle all ongoing disputes with Tibet.
Nancy Pelosi addressed the Tibetan parliament in exile in India on Tuesday. Pelosi’s video inside Parliament was played on several news channels, but what she said during her speech was not released.
The US House of Representatives recently passed the ‘Encouraging Tibet-China Dispute Resolution’ Act by a vote of 391-26.
It has already passed the US Senate.
According to the bill, the US will provide funding to counter China’s “disinformation” about Tibetan history, people and institutions.
The bill seeks to counter China’s claim that Tibet belongs to them.
The bill also calls for pressure on China to resume talks with Tibetan leaders, which have been suspended since 2010, in order to reach an agreement on Tibet.
The bill also states that China should look into the concerns of the Tibetan people regarding their historical, cultural, religious and linguistic identity.
India’s former foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal has disputed China’s assertion that the Dalai Lama is a political figure, not a religious leader.
In his words, the Dalai Lama is a spiritual person. Despite attempts to erase the identity of Tibetan civilization, change the demographics of Tibet, military occupation, damage to the fragile ecosystem of Tibet, they have never resorted to violence. They are willing to go with China if China accepts Tibetan autonomy. China today claims to be a pacifist. So why not making peace with the Dalai Lama?
According to him, peace can be established between China and India through this.
The conflict between China and Tibet dates back centuries.
China maintains that Tibet has been part of their country since the mid-13th century. Tibetans, on the other hand, claim that they have been an independent state for several centuries and that China did not have continuous control over their region.
The Mongol king Kublai Khan founded the Yuan Dynasty and extended his rule not only to Tibet, but also to China, Vietnam, and Korea.
Then in the 17th century, China’s Qing dynasty established relations with Tibet. After nearly 250 years of good relations, Qing forces took control of Tibet. But within three years the Tibetans drove out the Qing forces. Finally, in 1912, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama declared the independence of Tibet.
Then in 1951 the Chinese army took control of Tibet again. A Tibetan ‘representative association’ signed an agreement handing over Tibet’s sovereignty to China. The Dalai Lama moved to India in 1959 and has been fighting for Tibetan autonomy ever since.