China fumes as US delegation reaches TGiE seat in India, to meet Dalai Lama

A bipartisan delegation of the United States Congress on Tuesday reached the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile at Dharamshala in India to meet the 14th Dalai Lama, triggering a strong protest from China.

Beijing warned Washington DC of “resolute measures” to be initiated by China to firmly defend its sovereignty, security, and development interests if President Joe Biden signed the new Bill into law.

The delegation led by US House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman, Michael McCaul, reached Dharamshala in the Himachal Pradesh state of India just days after the American Congress passed the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act. The delegation, which includes former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, met Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong (chief) of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile (TGiE), on Tuesday.

Beijing strongly protested against the visit of the US Congress delegation to the seat of the TGiE in India and its plan to meet the Dalai Lama. “It is known by all that the 14th Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure, but a political exile engaged in separatist activities against China under the cloak of religion,” Lin Jian, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of China, told journalists in Beijing.

“We are gravely concerned over the relevant reports and urge the US side to fully recognize the anti-China separatist nature of the Dalai (Lama’s) group, honour the commitments the US has made to China on issues related to Xizang (Tibet), have no contact with the Dalai (Lama’s) group in any form and stop sending the wrong signal to the world,” added Lin.

The US House of Representatives voted 391-26 on June 12 to approve the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Bill. The same bill was passed by the US Senate last month. US President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law soon.

The Bill, introduced in the US Senate by Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley, seeks to direct funds to counter ‘disinformation’ allegedly spread by China about the history, people, and institutions of Tibet. It refutes the claim of the government's claim that Tibet has been a part of China since ancient times. It seeks to make it US policy that the dispute over the status of Tibet remains unresolved. The Bill also says that ‘Tibet’ refers not only to the Tibet Autonomous Region, as defined by the Government of China, but also to the areas of Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces of the communist country.

“Xizang (Tibet) has always been part of China since ancient times. Xizang’s affairs are purely China’s domestic affairs, and no external interference will ever be allowed,” said the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Xizang today enjoys social stability and harmony, with sound economic performance and people’s well-being well protected. Xizang keeps making fresh progress in effectively running its society and achieving high-quality development. No one and no force should ever attempt to destabilize Xizang to contain and suppress China. Such attempts will never succeed,” he added.