The head of the Tibetan administration in exile visited the White House on Saturday to speak with US officials in response to the first such invitation in six decades, and the development came against the backdrop of intense tensions between the United States and China.
The visit of Lobsang Sangay, president of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), to the White House was described by the CTA-run website Tibet.net as a “historic milestone.” Last month, Sangay became the first CTA chief to be invited to the State Department to meet Undersecretary Robert Destro, the special coordinator for Tibetan affairs.
“In the last six decades, the head of the CTA has been denied entry to the US State Department and the White House; the logic of both denials was that the United States government does not recognize the Tibetan government in exile, ”says a report on the website.
“Today’s visit is equivalent to recognition of both the democratic system of the CTA and its political leadership,” he added.
Sangay met with White House officials and the meeting “will set an optimistic tone for the CTA’s engagement with US officials and will be more formalized in the coming years,” according to the Tibet.net report.
There was no official word from the White House about the meeting.
Previously, Sangay met with White House officials in undisclosed locations more than a dozen times in the past 10 years since he became CTA chairman in 2011.
Earlier this week, Sangay held several virtual meetings with US officials and legislators. During meetings with Jim McGovern, chairman of the Congressional executive committee on China, and senior Republican and Democratic officials from the Senate foreign relations committee, Sangay discussed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2019 and other issues.
These developments have come in the context of intense tensions between the United States and China on key issues such as trade, human rights, Beijing’s assertive actions in the South China Sea and elsewhere, and the India-China border standoff. .
The Chinese government has reacted angrily to Sangay’s meetings with US officials, calling on Washington to stop interfering in Beijing’s internal affairs and undermining the stability of Tibet.
This week, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution on the importance of upholding the “genuine autonomy of the Tibetans” and the work done by the Dalai Lama to promote global peace and harmony. The resolution, introduced by Congressman Ted Yoho, recognized the “cultural and religious significance of a genuinely autonomous Tibet” and praised the Dalai Lama for his commitment to peace and non-violence.
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