US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo/AFP
Dharamshala: In a biting criticism of China’s continued restrictions over access to Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and other Tibetan areas, the US State Department said that it is announcing visa restrictions on PRC government and Chinese Communist Party officials under the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in a statement issued Tuesday said, “Tibetan areas is increasingly vital to regional stability, given the PRC’s human rights abuses there, as well as Beijing’s failure to prevent environmental degradation near the headwaters of Asia’s major rivers.”
Secretary Pompeo said under the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, PRC government and CCP officials determined to be “substantially involved in the formulation or execution of policies related to access for foreigners to Tibetan areas” will be issued visa sanctions.
The announcement comes just a day after Tibetans and supporters worldwide marked the 85th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
“The United States will continue to work to advance the sustainable economic development, environmental conservation, and humanitarian conditions of Tibetan communities within the People’s Republic of China and abroad,” Pompeo said.
He further said that the US remains committed to supporting meaningful autonomy for Tibetans, respect for their fundamental and unalienable human rights, and the preservation of their unique religious, cultural, and linguistic identity.
Based on the diplomatic principle of reciprocity, the Reciprocal Access to Tibet calls on countries to give equal rights to one another’s citizens.
The landmark bill signed by President Trump on 19 December 2018 was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and Randy Hultgren, R-Ill., and in the Senate by Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc. introduced in the Senate.
The latest implementation of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act sends a strong message to the Chinese government that it will face consequences for its discriminatory and repressive policies against the Tibetan people inside Tibet.
