Washington: US President Donald Trump has signed a bipartisan bill on Tibet into law that could enrage China, paving the way to impose a visa ban on Chinese officials who deny American citizens, government officials and journalists access to the sensitive Himalayan region, homeland of the exiled Dalai Lama.
US citizens including government officials, reporters and tourists who seek to enter Tibetan areas are routinely rejected, and the few who do get in are forced to stay on strictly controlled official tours, where the true situation of the Tibetan people is hidden from them, officials said.
The situation is worst of all for Tibetan-Americans, who are almost and always denied the right to make a pilgrimage to their ancestral land and to meet their family members there, community members said.
The Wednesday’s move by President Trump came days after China lodged a “stern” diplomatic protest with the US over the Senate passing the legislation with Beijing asking Washington not to make it a law.
China insists Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries.
The White House said that Trump signed into law the ‘Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018′ which promotes access for diplomats, officials, journalists and others from the United States to China’s Tibetan areas.
The bill, which was earlier passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, seeks to impose a visa ban on Chinese officials who deny American citizens, government officials and journalists’ access to the remote region of Tibet.
The move also comes amidst Trump administration imposing massive trade import duties on China, the world’s second largest after that of America.
However, the bill includes a national security waiver and would require the Secretary of State to submit an assessment to Congress of the level of access to Tibet granted to US officials, journalists and tourists by China. If the Secretary of State determines that there are restrictions on travel to Tibet, the appropriate Chinese officials will be ineligible to enter the US.
The Tibetan community described it as a historic moment for them. ‘Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act becomes law, marking new era of American support for Tibet’, said International Campaign for Tibet. “This is truly a turning point for Americans, Tibetans and all who care about equality, justice and human rights,” said Matteo Mecacci, ICT president. “By passing this impactful and innovative law, the US has blazed a path for other countries to follow and let the Chinese government know that it will face real consequences for its discrimination against the Tibetan people,” he said.
Congressman Jim McGovern, who introduced the bill in the House of Representatives, said: ” For too long, China has covered up their human rights violations in Tibet by restricting travel. But actions have consequences and today we are one step closer to holding the Chinese officials who implement these restrictions accountable (PTI)
