[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 89 Introduced in House (IH)]
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115th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 89
Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to United States policy
toward Tibet and that the treatment of the Tibetan people should be an
important factor in the conduct of United States relations with the
People's Republic of China.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 1, 2017
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. Engel, Mr. Yoho, and Mr. Sherman)
submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on
the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to United States policy
toward Tibet and that the treatment of the Tibetan people should be an
important factor in the conduct of United States relations with the
People's Republic of China.
Whereas, on October 17, 2007, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (in this
resolution referred to as the ``Dalai Lama'') was awarded the
Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his many enduring and
outstanding contributions to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and
religious understanding;
Whereas during his Congressional Gold Medal acceptance speech, Dalai Lama
stated, ``The time has come for our dialogue with the Chinese leadership
to progress towards the successful implementation of a meaningful
autonomy for Tibet, as guaranteed in the Chinese constitution and
detailed in the Chinese State Council `White Paper on Regional Ethnic
Autonomy of Tibet''';
Whereas the Dalai Lama continues to advance the goal of greater understanding,
tolerance, harmony, and respect among the different religious faiths of
the world through interfaith dialogue and outreach to other religious
leaders;
Whereas the Dalai Lama continues to use his moral authority to promote the
concept of universal responsibility as a guiding tenet for how human
beings should treat one another and the planet we share;
Whereas in the ten years since the Dalai Lama accepted the Congressional Gold
Medal, China has implemented increasingly repressive policies in Tibet,
including--
(1) travel restrictions against Tibetans and United States citizens;
(2) restrictive regulations on religious affairs;
(3) censorship of Buddhist literature and information;
(4) demolition of Tibetan Buddhist sites;
(5) imprisonment of Tibetan prisoners of conscience; and
(6) declarations that ``Decision-making power over the reincarnation of
the Dalai Lama and over the end of survival of his lineage resides with the
central government of China'';
Whereas, on April 15, 2015, the Chinese State Council released a white paper
entitled ``Tibet's Path of Development Is Driven by an Irresistible
Historical Tide'', which stated that ``there is no prospect of [a high
degree of autonomy for Tibet] ever coming to pass'' and furthermore
stated that Tibet had been part of China ``since ancient times'';
Whereas in recent years, Tibetan nomads, who have lived as nomadic herders on
the Tibetan Plateau for centuries, have been banned from grazing in
certain areas of the Tibetan Plateau and hundreds of Tibetan herders
have been forcibly relocated by Chinese government officials into
``socialist villages'';
Whereas in September 2017, the Government of China adopted additional
restrictive regulations on governmental control over the practice of
religion and expressed an intention that the government should
``actively guide religion to fit within socialist society'';
Whereas these 2017 regulations state that ``religious groups, religious schools,
religious activity sites and religious citizens shall abide by the
Constitution, laws, regulations and rules; practice the core socialist
values; [and] preserve the unification of the country, ethnic unity and
religious harmony and social stability'';
Whereas these 2017 regulations, scheduled for implementation by the Chinese
government beginning February 2018, would explicitly ban unregistered
religious groups from teaching about religion, establishing religious
colleges, going abroad to take part in religious training or gatherings,
or otherwise engage in activities that ``endanger national security'';
Whereas the Department of State stated in the 2016 Report on Tibet Negotiations
that ``[t]he Dalai Lama's representatives and Chinese officials from the
United Front Work Department have not met directly since the ninth round
of dialogue in January 2010'';
Whereas 2016 International Religious Freedom Report for China published by the
Department of State stated, ``In the [Tibet Autonomous Region] and other
Tibetan areas, authorities engaged in widespread interference in
religious practices, especially in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and
nunneries'';
Whereas the 2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for China published
by the Department of State stated, ``Under the professed objectives of
controlling border areas, maintaining social stability, combating
separatism, and extracting natural resources, the government engaged in
the severe repression of Tibet's unique religious, cultural, and
linguistic heritage by, among other means, strictly curtailing the civil
rights of the Tibetan population, including the freedoms of speech,
religion, association, assembly, and movement'';
Whereas since 2009, 150 Tibetans have self-immolated to protest against China's
rule in Tibet and most Tibetans publicly call for the return of the
Dalai Lama to Tibet;
Whereas the Chinese government has refused to allow an independent investigation
into the causes of the self-immolations and has instead criminalized
them, by imprisoning the survivors and collectively punishing the
relatives, friends and villagers of the self-immolators, as documented
by the International Campaign for Tibet;
Whereas Congress has a long history of support for Tibet, including--
(1) declaring that the United States should make Tibet issue a higher
policy priority;
(2) declaring that the United States should urge China to establish a
constructive dialogue with the Dalai Lama;
(3) requiring Voice of America and Radio Free Asia to begin broadcasts
in the Tibetan language;
(4) mandating that Tibet be listed separately in the annual Country
Reports on Human Rights published by the Department of State;
(5) requiring a report from the Department of State on the state of
negotiations between the representatives of the Tibetan people and the
Chinese government;
(6) establishing educational and cultural exchange programs with Tibet;
(7) providing humanitarian, food, medical, vocational training, primary
and secondary education, and other assistance to Tibetan refugees;
(8) funding programs to promote and preserve Tibetan culture and the
resilience of Tibetan communities in India and Nepal;
(9) funding a scholarship program for Tibetan refugees to study in the
United States;
(10) providing assistance to nongovernmental organizations working to
preserve the Tibetan environment and cultural traditions; and
(11) appropriating funds for National Endowment for Democracy programs
related to Tibet;
Whereas section 901(b)(6) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal
Years 1990 and 1991 (Public Law 101-246; 22 U.S.C. 2651 note) stated
that United States policy toward China should be explicitly linked with
the situation in Tibet, specifically including--
(1) lifting martial law in Lhasa and other parts of Tibet;
(2) opening Tibet to foreigners, including the press and international
human rights organizations;
(3) releasing Tibetan political prisoners; and
(4) conducting negotiations between representatives of His Holiness the
Dalai Lama and the Chinese government;
Whereas the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note), signed into law on
September 30, 2002--
(1) established United States principles with respect to human rights,
religious freedom, political prisoners, and economic development projects
in Tibet;
(2) established in statute the position of the Special Coordinator for
Tibetan Issues in the Department of State;
(3) established annual reporting requirements on Sino-Tibetan
negotiations and safeguarding Tibet's distinct cultural identity, both by
the Secretary of State and by the congressionally established
Congressional-Executive Commission on China;
(4) mandated the provision of Tibetan language training to interested
foreign service officers;
(5) required Federal officials to raise issues of religious freedom and
political prisoners; and
(6) urged the Secretary of State to seek establishment of an office in
Lhasa;
Whereas the President will visit China on November 8, 2017, for a series of
bilateral, commercial, and cultural events including meetings with
President Xi Jinping, who has been reappointed as the Chinese Communist
Party Leader by the 19th Congress held from October 18 through 24, 2017;
and
Whereas it is in line with United States national security interests and values
to oppose China's increasingly repressive policies toward Tibet and work
towards a negotiated solution: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That it is the sense of Congress that it should be the policy of the
United States to--
(1) make the treatment of the Tibetan people an important
factor in the conduct of United States relations with the
People's Republic of China;
(2) consistent with the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22
U.S.C. 6901 note)--
(A) encourage the Government of the People's
Republic of China to enter into a dialogue with the
Dalai Lama or his representatives leading to a
negotiated agreement with respect to Tibet;
(B) publicly call for the immediate and
unconditional release of all those held prisoner for
expressing their political or religious views in the
Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas; and
(C) establish an office in Lhasa, Tibet, to assist
visiting United States citizens and to monitor
political, economic, and cultural developments in
Tibet;
(3) appoint the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues at
the highest levels of government;
(4) revoke appropriate privileges of any Chinese official
found to be responsible for impeding access of United States
citizens, including Tibetan-Americans, to Tibet and ensure that
reciprocal visa processing measures are occurring in accordance
with the rules and regulations of the Department of State;
(5) continue to designate China as a country of particular
concern pursuant to section 402 of the International Religious
Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(b));
(6) engage with appropriate officials of the Chinese
government to--
(A) stop the demolition of Tibetan Buddhist
religious institutions;
(B) revise religious and travel regulations to
conform with international human rights standards; and
(C) ensure that Tibetan nomads are allowed to
continue their way of life on the Tibetan Plateau,
which they have helped to preserve for centuries, and
are not forcibly relocated into ``socialist villages''.
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