Through our Government Relations program, ICT works to educate the U.S. Congress on Tibetan issues, while promoting legislation that advances a negotiated settlement for Tibet's future.
At the present time, the United States affirms the so-called "one China" policy. However, successive administrations have urged the Chinese leadership to engage in dialogue with the Dalai Lama with a view to resolving differences. In addition, the United States has provided political and programmatic support to the Tibetan people. It has furnished humanitarian assistance to Tibetan refugees living in exile, and has raised Tibet in bilateral talks with China and at the UN Commission on Human Rights. The Administration continues to criticize China's human rights violations and restriction of religious freedom in annual reports and at Congressional hearings.
In 2002, the U.S. Congress passed the Tibetan Policy Act, which sets out preserve the culture and identity of Tibetans living in exile and in Tibet. This legislation significantly elevated Tibet on the foreign policy agenda by creating a legal framework for US-Tibet policy, including a permanent appointment of a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues in the Department of State.
United States Government and Tibet
