WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump 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 interference from China.
The Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 amends and reauthorizes various programs and provisions related to Tibet.
Trump signed the law Sunday as part of the massive $ 2.3 trillion package for the year-end bill to provide relief from the 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; imposes restrictions on the new Chinese consulates in the United States until a U.S. 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 Chinese government or Chinese Communist Party officials who directly interfere with the identification and installation of the future 15th Dalai Lama of Tibetan Buddhism, the successor to the 14th Dalai. The MA.
Beijing he sees 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 $ 1 million per year for the US Special Coordinator in Tibet, $ 675,000 for scholarship provisions, $ 575,000 for academic exchange initiatives, $ 8 million for the Regio and Tibetan Autonomous Communities in China, $ 6 million for Tibetans living in India, $ 3 million for Tibetan governance.
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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