Washington, D.C.: On 2 February 2026, Sikyong Penpa Tsering, accompanied by staff of the Office of Tibet, Washington, DC, and the International Campaign for Tibet, continued his advocacy efforts on the Hill through meetings with Congressman Jim McGovern, Congressman James R. Walkinshaw, and Congressman Joe Wilson. During the discussions, Sikyong underscored the importance of credible scholarly works such as Professor Hon-Shiang Lau’s book, which is based on imperial Chinese records, in demonstrating the historical reality that Tibet has never been part of China since antiquity. Sikyong presented a copy of the book to each of the Members and noted that while the English edition of the book was released last week, its Chinese version remains uncontested by the People’s Republic of China.
The meetings also focused on legislative initiatives and addressed issues concerning the succession of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Discussions included the recent Prague Declaration by the Article 18 Alliance. The declaration reaffirms freedom of religion or belief and upholds the Tibetan Buddhist community’s right to identify the successor to His Holiness the Dalai Lama free from state interference. Members of the House of Representatives expressed their support and emphasised that the Tibet cause is neither obsolete nor a matter of the past.
In addition to his engagements on the Hill, Sikyong will participate as a plenary speaker at the International Religious Freedom Summit and subsequently speak on Tibetan democracy in exile and religious freedom at an event hosted by the Atlantic Council on 3 February 2026 (ET).
