[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 18, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5878-H5880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING SIGNIFICANCE OF GENUINE AUTONOMY OF TIBET AND TIBETAN 
                                 PEOPLE

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 697) recognizing the significance of the genuine 
autonomy of Tibet and the Tibetan people and the work His Holiness the 
14th Dalai Lama has done to promote global peace, harmony, and 
understanding, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 697

       Whereas the Dalai Lama's principal commitments include 
     cultivation of warm-heartedness and such human values as 
     compassion and forgiveness; promotion of religious harmony; 
     and preservation of Tibetan language and culture and 
     protection of Tibet's natural environment;
       Whereas the Dalai Lama has stated, ``I remain convinced 
     that most human conflicts can be solved through genuine 
     dialogue conducted with the spirit of openness and 
     reconciliation'';
       Whereas, in 1989, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel 
     Peace Prize for his nonviolent struggle for the liberation of 
     Tibet, his advocacy for peaceful solutions to preserve 
     Tibetans' historical and cultural heritage, and his 
     constructive, forward-looking

[[Page H5879]]

     proposals for resolving international conflicts, human rights 
     issues, and global environmental problems;
       Whereas Congress has consistently shown overwhelming, 
     bipartisan, bicameral support for the Tibetan people's 
     aspirations for internationally recognized human rights and 
     freedoms and the protection of their distinct religious, 
     cultural, linguistic, and historical identity, including by 
     passing the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-228; 
     22 U.S.C. 6901 note);
       Whereas, in 2006, Congress passed the Fourteenth Dalai Lama 
     Congressional Gold Medal Act (Public Law 109-287; 31 U.S.C. 
     5111), and in October 2007, President George W. Bush, Speaker 
     of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, and other 
     Congressional leaders awarded the Dalai Lama the United 
     States Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor 
     awarded by Congress, for his contributions to peace, 
     nonviolence, human rights, and religious understanding;
       Whereas Members of Congress have on multiple occasions met 
     with the Dalai Lama during congressional delegations 
     overseas, including a bipartisan delegation led by then-House 
     Speaker Pelosi to meet with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan 
     exiled community in 2008, a bipartisan delegation led by 
     then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in 2017, and a 
     bipartisan delegation from the House Democracy Partnership in 
     2019, to spotlight the unjust oppression against the Tibetan 
     people;
       Whereas the Dalai Lama has on multiple occasions visited 
     the United States Capitol, including most recently in June 
     2016, during which he met with congressional leadership to 
     promote respectful inter-religious harmony and protection of 
     the Tibetan people's identity, culture, language, and 
     environment;
       Whereas the Department of State finds in its 2020 Report to 
     Congress on Access to Tibetan Areas of the People's Republic 
     of China (PRC), as required by the Reciprocal Access to Tibet 
     Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-330), that the Chinese Government 
     systematically impeded travel to the Tibet Autonomous Region 
     (TAR) and Tibetan areas outside the TAR for United States 
     diplomats and officials, journalists, and tourists in 2019;
       Whereas, in 2018, the Secretary of State convened the 
     first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, during 
     which the Dalai Lama addressed hundreds of members of 
     religious organizations and civil society by video;
       Whereas under the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, it is the 
     policy of the United States to support economic development, 
     cultural preservation, health care, and education and 
     environmental sustainability for Tibetans inside Tibet;
       Whereas the human rights situation in Tibet has 
     significantly deteriorated since the Tibetan Policy Act of 
     2002 was signed into law;
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China's 
     repeated insistence that it must control the selection of the 
     next leader of Tibetan Buddhism, a religion with adherents 
     across the globe including in Mongolia, where a 2010 census 
     reports 53 percent of individuals ages 15 and older self-
     identify as Buddhists, is a gross violation of international 
     religious freedom;
       Whereas the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed 
     H.R. 4331, the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2019, which 
     reiterates support for the Tibetan community and the need to 
     hold Chinese officials responsible for religious freedom 
     abuses targeting Tibetan Buddhists;
       Whereas after 35 years, the United States Consulate in 
     Chengdu, which was responsible for operations in and 
     providing diplomatic reporting on developments concerning 
     Tibetan populations in southwestern China and the Tibet 
     Autonomous Region, closed on July 27, 2020; and
       Whereas on September 12, 2020, the Dalai Lama addressed a 
     virtual session of the Group of Seven annual meeting of 
     Speakers and Heads of Parliament hosted by Speaker of the 
     House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) affirms the cultural and religious significance of the 
     goal of genuine autonomy for the people of Tibet and the deep 
     bond between the American and Tibetan people;
       (2) supports the efforts of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan 
     leadership to achieve genuine autonomy for Tibetans through 
     negotiations without preconditions with the People's Republic 
     of China;
       (3) supports the 14th Dalai Lama's commitment to global 
     peace, nonviolence, human rights, and environmental 
     protection and sustainability;
       (4) urges the swift enactment of the Tibetan Policy and 
     Support Act of 2019 to update United States policy toward 
     Tibet, particularly on issues related to the succession or 
     reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, water security and 
     environmental concerns in the Tibetan plateau, and support 
     for the Tibetan community, language, culture, and religion;
       (5) stresses the urgency of addressing the ongoing climate 
     crisis, including in the Tibetan Plateau, and working toward 
     environmental and economic justice and equality;
       (6) encourages United States diplomats and other officials, 
     journalists, and other citizens to seek access to Tibetan 
     areas and demand that China provide access and treatment 
     reciprocal to access and treatment the United States provides 
     to Chinese diplomats and other officials, scholars, and 
     others in the United States;
       (7) calls on the Secretary of State to mitigate any 
     potential impact the closure of the United States Consulate 
     in Chengdu may have on the Department of State's ability to 
     provide timely reporting on and support for Tibetan 
     communities, such as by allocating additional resources to 
     other United States missions in China to improve coverage; 
     and
       (8) determines that it would be beneficial to continue 
     years of bipartisan and bicameral engagement with the leaders 
     of the Tibetan people, including between Members of Congress 
     and His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Engel) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 
5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H. Res. 697.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Congress has consistently demonstrated bipartisan and 
bicameral support for the Tibetan community, and I hope it does so 
again by supporting Mr. Yoho's, the gentleman from Florida, 
legislation.
  The Chinese Government has repeatedly insisted that it must control 
the selection of the next leader of Tibetan Buddhism--a flagrant 
violation of international religious freedom.
  We are seeing additional signs of Beijing's efforts to exert more 
control, as it has already done in Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang. Radio 
Free Asia's Tibetan Service has reported that the rail line being 
constructed to connect Chengdu to Nyingtri in the Tibetan Autonomous 
Region will tighten Beijing's grip on Tibet.
  In addition, the State Department has found that the Chinese 
Government has systematically impeded travel to the Tibetan Autonomous 
Region and Tibetan areas for U.S. diplomats and officials, journalists, 
and tourists.
  After the Trump administration closed the Chinese Consulate in 
Houston, the Chinese Government retaliated by demanding the closure of 
the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu. This consulate, among other things, was 
responsible for providing reports on developments concerning Tibet, and 
its closure risks further undermining our ability to understand 
developments in the region.
  H. Res. 697 affirms and supports Dalai Lama's teachings and 
commitment to global peace, nonviolence, human rights, and 
environmental protection. It also encourages further implementation of 
the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018. Finally, it calls on the 
Secretary of State to mitigate impacts of the closure of the U.S. 
Consulate in Chengdu.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this measure, I encourage my 
colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 697, recognizing the 
genuine autonomy of Tibet and the vital work the Dalai Lama has done to 
promote peace around the world.
  Over 60 years ago, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was forced into 
exile by the Chinese Communist Party's full-scale military takeover of 
Tibet. To this very day, the CCP uses propaganda, violence, and 
oppression to assert totalitarian control over Tibet and the Tibetan 
people. The CCP sees Tibet's cultural and religious heritage as a 
threat to its control. Just as they have done with Islam and 
Christianity, the CCP is trying to stamp out Tibetan Buddhism and 
Tibetans' way of life--even though Tibet is guaranteed autonomy under 
China's constitution.
  Despite these challenges, the Dalai Lama has stood as a leader in the 
promotion of human rights and religious harmony and the preservation of 
Tibetan culture and religion. The Dalai Lama's contribution to peace 
and nonviolence has been revered by the international community, and 
for decades the U.S. Congress has remained committed to strengthening 
the relationship between the U.S. and the Tibetan people.

[[Page H5880]]

  I would like to thank His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama for his 
dedication to the Tibetan people.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 697 is a strong measure that 
encourages the continuation of close engagement between the United 
States and Tibet. I therefore urge Members to support it, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry).
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my friend, the gentleman 
from Florida, in support of this important resolution.
  We know as a fact, confirmed by Reuters, the New York Post, and many 
other news outlets, that the Chinese Communist Party has recently 
forced 500,000 Tibetans into labor camps--500,000.
  Through these camps the CCP wishes to sinicize the Tibetan people and 
destroy their religious and cultural heritage and national identity.
  If you asked the General Secretary Xi Jinping why his country 
continues to undermine the national identity of the Tibetan people, he 
would tell you that his party's initiative is simply part of a poverty 
alleviation program wherein the CCP hopes to move surplus rural labor 
to other parts of the country. It is absurd, and it is outrageous. The 
fact that a foreign leader could believe that this kind of public 
policy is morally acceptable is beyond me, and it is beyond the 
civilized world. We have heard similar explanations before.
  We know what these so-called poverty alleviation programs are really 
about: Xi Jinping desperately wants to crush the spirits of those who 
are living under his dictatorial regime. He wants to indoctrinate 
people in those camps and ruthlessly marginalize their identities.
  Mr. Speaker, you don't need camps for people who are seeking to do 
better in their life; you just give them the opportunity, and they will 
do it. They don't need to go to camp to do that.
  He will fail in his effort. Make no mistake about it. He will fail 
spectacularly in his effort to quash the hopes of millions of Tibetans 
who dare to dream and fight for a free nation. One of the reasons he 
will fail is because the United States is with the people of Tibet.
  Our Tibetan friends have long since recognized the significance of 
the genuine autonomy of Tibet, and today I am proud to join them.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 697 is a strong measure that 
encourages the continuation of close engagement between the United 
States and Tibet.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, since 1959, the U.S. Congress, on a bicameral, 
bipartisan basis, has remained committed to strengthening the 
friendship between the U.S. and the Tibetan people.
  There are over 31,000 individuals of Tibetan descent living in North 
America, and our people share similar values of freedom and 
understanding.
  His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has dedicated himself to three 
principles: the promotion of human values, the promotion of religious 
harmony, and the preservation of Tibetan culture and religion.
  I would like to thank the Dalai Lama for his vital contributions to 
the Tibetan people and the world.
  As Mr. Perry said, the Communist Party knows they cannot survive with 
free thought, and that is what religion does for people around the 
world. They put a deity or a higher power above them, whereas, in 
China, the highest power that can be achieved is the Communist Party, 
and therefore it will not survive.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 697, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  The title of the resolution was amended so as to read: ``A resolution 
affirming the significance of the advocacy for genuine autonomy for 
Tibetans in the People's Republic of China and the work His Holiness 
the 14th Dalai Lama has done to promote global peace, harmony, and 
understanding.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________