Washington DC: From 22 to 25 July, Sikyong Penpa Tsering visited Washington DC for a series of official engagements, during which he expressed gratitude to US legislators in person for their support of the “Resolve Tibet Act.”
In addition to meeting with the US Congress members, Sikyong had meetings with the State Department and White House officials on Tibet-related issues. Sikyong also participated in a closed-door expert roundtable at Brookings Institution, moderated by its China centre director, Ryan Hass. Other engagements included meetings with USAID officials and congressional staffers.
A reception was organised at the Capitol Visitor Center to mark the signing of “Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act” into law. Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the Tibetan political leader, expressed the gratitude of the Tibetan people to the sponsors of the Bill. The reception was attended by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Chairman Michael McCaul, Congressman Jim McGovern, and Congressman Joe Wilson. A video with a collection of Tibetan people thanking the United States was also screened at the reception and enjoyed by the attendees.
Sikyong also attended the community celebration of the Resolve Tibet Act becoming law at the Capital Area Tibetan Community Center and addressed the gathering. In his speech, Sikyong said, “It’s very rare for Tibetans to celebrate. There were times when Tibetans celebrated when His Holiness was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize, the US Congressional Gold Medal, and recognitions from many institutions and organisations or otherwise; the Tibet issue became known internationally because of Tibetans suffering inside Tibet. And, for the first time, this is a very momentous day for the Tibetans that we celebrate because of the government’s decision to pass legislation like the Resolve Tibet Act, which challenges every aspect of China’s claim on Tibet.”
Regarding the development of the “Resolve Tibet Act,” Sikyong Penpa Tsering expressed his gratitude, stating, “I want to extend my thanks to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. This bill originated from her office during her tenure as Speaker in 2022. At that time, Richard Gere as the President of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), I as Sikyong, and the team from the Office of Tibet and ICT met with Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Jim McGovern. During this meeting, we strategise on three basic issues: organising a World Parliamentarian Convention on Tibet in Washington, DC—since the last one was held in 1997 and this was organised in June 2022, and around the same time, the testimony on Tibet’s historical status by Tenzin Namgyal Tethong, Ellen Bork, Chinese historian Professor Lao, and Professor Michael, the four of them testified before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Based on that testimony, this “Resolve Tibet Act” was sponsored by Congressman Jim McGovern and Chairman McCaul in the house, and Senator Todd Young and Senator Jeff Markley in the Senate with the support of Senator Cardin as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. We are deeply thankful for their support.”
Sikyong further added, “As Speaker Pelosi said when she visited Dharamshala, she mentioned that this was also due to the Tibetan people that this bill got passed. So, I am gonna thank all the Tibetans in America, the Tibet Support Groups, the Tibetan associations, the Tibetan advocates, particularly the younger generations of Tibet who have been at the Hill this year in March. And I know that there has been a lot of input and support also from the Congressional staffers, some of whom are present here, who have been architects of this bill.”
During the weekend, Sikyong will be visiting Tibetan communities in Madison-Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Chicago.
-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Washington DC
