Washington DC: The Resolve Tibet Bill, S. 138, “Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act”, was unanimously approved on 16 April 2024 by the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
Speaking to the media following the Committee’s session, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ben Cardin, acknowledged his discussion with Sikyong the night before regarding the procedure to be adopted in connection with this bill and said the bill’s language was precisely the same as that which the Lower House had approved.
According to the Tibetan language broadcaster, immediately after the bill was unanimously approved, Senator Jeff Merkley (Democratic Party) and Senator Todd Young (Republican Party) explained the Committee’s approval of the bill was a further confirmation of the United States’ policy of advocating peaceful dialogue between His Holiness the Dalai Lama or His representative and the People’s Republic of China to resolve the Tibet-China conflict. They further stated the bill had already been passed in the US House of Representatives and could now move to the Senate floor.
Representative Dr Namgyal Choedup delivered this great news to the members of North American Tibetan Associations and extended his appreciation on behalf of the Central Tibetan Administration for their commitment to seeking support from the Senators of their respective states and called for continued effort. While ensuring that the Office of Tibet and the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) have been doing their best, the Representative apprised Sikyong has been actively involved in meetings with lawmakers and government officials during this ongoing visit in the US to advocate for the passage of the bill. He further acknowledged Sikyong Penpa Tsering and ICT Chair Richard Gere’s successful meeting with the Chairman of the United States Senate Committee, Senator Ben Cardin, during which the latter affirmed his firm support for the bill’s passage.
-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Washington DC