A U.S. congressional delegation met with the Dalai Lama, while Xi Jinping visited a Tibetan temple in Xining.
News Analysis
NEW DELHI—A seven-member congressional delegation from the United States, led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), visited Dharamshala, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile, on June 18.
On the same day, Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited the Tibetan Buddhist community in Qinghai, a province traditionally called Amdo by Tibetans. A Tibetan expert called the timing and manner of both visits highly symbolic.
The Himalayan town of Dharamshala has served as the seat of the Tibetan government in exile since 1960.
The U.S. delegation met with Tibet’s spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, on Wednesday, and later addressed a gathering of Tibetan exiles, including children from Tibetan schools. Meanwhile, Xi visited the ancient Hongjue Temple in Tibet’s northwestern province of Qinghai, according to a report from Chinese state media Xinhua.
After her meeting, Ms. Pelosi posted pictures of the bipartisan delegation with the Dalai Lama and Penpa Tsering, president of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Tibetan government in exile. Her post on X said she “strongly reaffirmed Congressional support for the people of Tibet.”
At a public meeting organized by the Central Tibetan Administration, Mr. McCaul, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was “determined to end the Tibetan culture” after it “forcibly brought” the Tibetan people under its control.
After the brutal Chinese occupation of Tibet and a failed Tibetan uprising in 1959, the young Dalai Lama fled to India. The spiritual leader was followed by more than 80,000 Tibetans.
“Decades later, the Chinese Communist Party continues to threaten the freedom of Tibetan people and they have even attempted to insert themselves into the succession of the Dalai Lama. We’ll not let that happen,” Mr. McCaul said.
Ms. Pelosi spoke to the gathering about the “Resolve Tibet Act,” which was passed by the U.S. Congress last week. She said the bill sends a message to the Chinese regime that the United States has clarity on the issue and understands the value of Tibet’s freedom.
