The U.S. Congress passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act, reaffirming the right of Tibetans to choose a successor to their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. The head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Lobsang Senghor, welcomed this today, calling it a victory for Tibetans in their struggle for democracy. The Chinese Communist Party views the Dalai Lama in exile as a dangerous “separatist. Now that the U.S. Congress has again taken a stand in support of Tibetans, it could further strain U.S.-China relations.
According to a Central News Agency report today, the U.S. Congress passed the Tibet bill, which the head of the exiled government said was a victory for Tibetans. Lobsang Sangay told Reuters that the passage of the Tibetan Policy and Support Act (TPSA) by both houses of the U.S. Congress is particularly historic, the news agency said.
The bill includes a call for the establishment of a U.S. consulate in Lhasa, Tibet’s main city, the absolute right of Tibetans to choose a successor to the Dalai Lama, and a call to protect Tibet’s environment. The bill also proposes a “regional architecture for water security” and promotes Tibetan participation in dialogue with China on the issue of environmental oversight in Tibet.
According to the bill, “The People’s Republic of China has completed a water transfer program that transfers billions of cubic meters of water from the Tibetan plateau to China each year, and is preparing several other programs to transfer more water.”
The Central News Agency quoted Lobsang Senghor as saying, “By passing the TPSA, the U.S. Congress has sent a clear and loud message that Tibet remains a U.S. priority and that the United States will continue to stand firmly behind the Supreme Leader, the Dalai Lama, and the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Tibetan government-in-exile. .”
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