NEW DELHI: In a move that has the potential to further strain already troubled ties between the United States and China, the head of the Tibetan government in exile visited the White House for the first time in six decades.
On Friday, Dr. Lobsang Sangay, president of the Tibetan government in exile, was invited to the White House to meet with the newly appointed United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Affairs, Robert Destro.
The development is a historic feat for the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), as it amounts to recognition of both the democratic system of the CTA and its political leader.
“This unprecedented meeting may set an optimistic tone for the CTA’s engagement with US officials and will become more formal in the years to come,” said the CTA, which is based in Dharamshala.
China took control of Tibet in 1950 in what he described as a “peaceful liberation” that helped him shed his “feudal past,” but critics led by exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama say BeijingThe rule amounts to “cultural genocide.”
For the past six decades, the head of the CTA has been denied entry to the US State Department and the White House as the US government does not recognize the Tibetan government in exile.
Earlier this week, Dr. Sangay held several virtual meetings through which he discussed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act (TPSA) and other matters with the chairman of the Executive Committee of the US Congress on the Democratic side.
Representative Ngodup Tsering and Kelsang Dolma he had also accompanied Dr. Sangay in these meetings.
Tibet has been one of the areas of contention between the United States and China, with relations between the world’s two largest economies at their lowest point in decades.
In July, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Beijing of violating Tibetan human rights and said Washington supported “meaningful autonomy” for the region.
Since then, Beijing officials have accused the United States of using Tibet to try to promote “rift” in China. China has also refused to commit to Destro.
In October, after Sangay was invited by the state department, the Chinese government asked the United States to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs or undermining the development and stability of the country’s Tibet region.
Chinese President Xi Jinping had said in August that China needed to build an “impregnable fortress” in Tibet to protect national unity.
(With inputs from agencies)
On video: President of the Tibetan government in exile, Lobsong Sangay, visits the White House
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