Tibetan political leader visits White House for first time in 6 decades

Washington, November 21

The head of the Tibetan authorities in exile has visited the White House for the primary time in six a long time, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) mentioned on Saturday, a transfer that would additional enrage Beijing, which has accused the US of making an attempt to intrude in China’s inside affairs.

Dr Lobsang Sangay entered the United States White House on Friday — a historic feat. This is the primary time within the final 6 a long time the pinnacle of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has been invited into the White House, the CTA mentioned in a press release.

“It is a great honour to be the first political head of the Central Tibetan Administration to formally enter the White House,” Sangay mentioned in a tweet.

“Today’s visit amounts to an acknowledgement of both the democratic system of the CTA and its political head… This unprecedented meeting perhaps will set an optimistic tone for CTA participation with US officials and be more formalised in the coming years,” mentioned the CTA, which is predicated in Dharamsala in India.

Sangay, the President of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), was invited to the White House to satisfy the newly appointed US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Robert Destro, on Friday, it mentioned.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on October 15 named senior diplomat Destro as Special Coordinator for Tibetan points, who, amongst different issues, would concentrate on advancing dialogue between the Communist authorities in China and the Dalai Lama.

Announcing Destro’s appointment, Pompeo mentioned it was in step with the Tibetan Policy Act and he’ll lead the US efforts to advertise dialogue between China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives; defend the distinctive spiritual, cultural and linguistic identification of Tibetans; and press for his or her human rights to be revered.

China has criticised Destro’s appointment, saying it amounted to political manipulation geared toward destabilising Tibet.

After Destro’s appointment, Sangay met him and mentioned the state of affairs in Tibet.

Asked in regards to the Destro-Sangay assembly, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian informed a media briefing right here final month: “Xizang’s (Tibet’s) affairs (are) purely China’s internal affairs. No external forces shall interfere in them”.

Unlike prior to now, the Chinese officers in current instances have been referring to Tibet solely as Xizang.

“Appointing the so-called special coordinator for Tibetan issues is a political move to interfere in China’s internal affairs and sabotage Xizang’s stability. It is China’s consistent position we firmly oppose that and we will not acknowledge that. We have lodged stern representation to the US side,” he mentioned.

China firmly opposes any official exchanges between international locations having diplomatic ties with China and Taiwan or signing any official paperwork, he mentioned.

Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a splittist who’s working with international forces to separate Tibet from China.

“Today, the House sent a strong message with the passage of resolutions calling for the end of China’s human rights abuses. The House on a bipartisan basis will always fight for freedom of religion & culture in Tibet and for the rule of law in Hong Kong,” US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted on Thursday.

In his handle to a key assembly on Tibet in August, Chinese President Xi Jinping referred to as for constructing a “new modern socialist” Tibet, setting up an “impregnable wall” in opposition to separatism within the delicate Himalayan area and “sinicisation” of the Tibetan Buddhism. — PTI