United States President Donald Trump on Sunday signed into law a bill that says sanctions should be imposed on Chinese officials who interfere in the selection of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s successor, Reuters reported.
The president signed it as part of a massive $900 billion-worth coronavirus relief and government funding package, which will avoid a government shutdown.
The Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020, passed by the Senate last week, calls for the establishment of a US consulate in Lhasa and reaffirms the absolute right of Tibetans to choose a successor to the Dalai Lama.
“The TPSA makes it official United States policy that decisions regarding the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama are exclusively within the authority of the current Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhist leaders and the Tibetan people,” a statement by the Central Tibetan Administration said, according to the Hindustan Times. “Any interference by Chinese government officials will be met with serious sanctions and deemed inadmissible into the United States.”
After a failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule, the Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959. He went into exile in the town of Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh, where he still lives. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. Beijing, however, sees 14th Dalai Lama as a “separatist” working to split Tibet from China.
On Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry rejected the legislation and said the US should avoid harming bilateral ties. Tibet-related matters are domestic affairs, Zhao Lijian, a ministry spokesperson, said at a media briefing.
“The determination of the Chinese government to safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests is unwavering,” Zhao added.
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