January 30, 2014
DHARAMSHALA: US senator Max Baucus, nominated as Washington’s next ambassador to China, said he would counsel the Chinese leadership to restart dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama without any preconditions to reduce the growing instability in Tibet.
In his testimony before the senate foreign relations committee on 28 January 2014, he said “I will call on Chinese authorities to allow an independent civil society to play a role in resolving societal challenges; take steps to reduce tensions and promote long – term stability in Tibet and Xinjiang ; and restart substantive talks with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without precondition.”
Mr. Baucus said he considered human rights, including the treatment of minorities, “extremely important”, adding that he pressed the then Chinese president Jiang Zemin, on an earlier trip to China, to release a Tibetan activist. The Tibetan activist was freed weeks later, he said.
Mr. Baucus, 72, is a democrat from Montana and one of the longest-serving senators in the US senate. He announced last year that he would not seek re-election to the senate.
If confirmed as ambassador — a committee vote is set for next week — he will succeed Gary F. Locke, the first Chinese-American ambassador to Beijing who resigned in November last year.
