US President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill calling for the establishment of an American consulate in Tibet and the building of an international coalition to ensure that the next Dalai Lama is appointed solely by the Tibetan Buddhist community without China’s interference.
The Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 amends and reauthorizes various programs and provisions related to Tibet.
Trump signed the act Sunday as part of a massive $ 2.3 trillion package for the year-end bill to provide relief from the long-delayed coronavirus and fund the federal government.
The US Senate unanimously approved the bill last week despite protests from China.
Authorizes assistance to non-governmental organizations in support of Tibetan communities in Tibet; It imposes restrictions on new Chinese consulates in the United States until an American consulate has been established in Lhasa, Tibet.
The law now authorizes the Office of the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibetan Affairs and expands the duties of the office to include additional tasks, such as seeking international coalitions to ensure the next Dalai Lama is appointed solely by the Buddhist faith community. Tibetan. It also orders the Secretary of State not to open a new Chinese consulate in the United States unless China allows the opening of a US consulate in Lhasa.
It is the policy of the United States to take all appropriate measures to hold accountable senior officials in the Chinese government or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who directly interfere with the identification and installation of the future 15th Dalai Lama of Tibetan Buddhism, the successor of the XIV Dalai Lama.
Beijing views the 14th Dalai Lama as a “separatist” working to separate Tibet from China. Some of the prominent measures passed by the US Congress include imposing sanctions on Chinese officials, including travel restrictions.
Noting that the 14th Dalai Lama advocates the Middle Way Approach, which seeks genuine autonomy for the six million Tibetans in Tibet, the new law says the Dalai Lama has overseen a process of democratization within Tibetan politics. and has delegated its political responsibilities to those elected. 23 representatives of the Tibetan people in exile in 2011.
The Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 approves USD 1 million per year for the US Special Coordinator in Tibet, USD 675,000 for scholarship provisions, USD 575,000 for academic exchange initiatives, USD 8 million for the Regio and Tibetan Autonomous Communities in China, USD 6 million for Tibetans living in India, USD3 million for the Tibetan government.
Expressing concern over the exploitation of Tibet’s natural resources, particularly water, the new law seeks to undertake collaborative efforts with Chinese and international scientific institutions to monitor the environment on the Tibetan Plateau, including the retreat of glaciers, the rise of temperature and carbon levels, promote a better understanding of the effects on permafrost, river flows, grasslands and desertification and the monsoon cycle.
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