The Resolve Tibet Act
When President Biden signed the Resolve Tibet Act on July 12, 2024, this crucial new piece of legislation became the law of the United States. Proceeding at every step of the way with resounding support and a number of unanimous votes, the Resolve Tibet Act sends a clear message to China and gives the US State Department a new mandate to combat Chinese disinformation on Tibet.
The passage of the Resolve Tibet Act is a success story that took time, effort, and dedication from Members of Congress, Tibetan communities, the Central Tibetan Administration, and advocacy groups like ICT.
Here’s how it happened:
The Resolve Tibet Act
When President Biden signed the Resolve Tibet Act on July 12, 2024, this crucial new piece of legislation became the law of the United States. Proceeding at every step of the way with resounding support and a number of unanimous votes, the Resolve Tibet Act sends a clear message to China and gives the US State Department a new mandate to combat Chinese disinformation on Tibet.
The passage of the Resolve Tibet Act is a success story that took time, effort, and dedication from Members of Congress, Tibetan communities, the Central Tibetan Administration, and advocacy groups like ICT.
Here’s how it happened:
THE RESOLVE TIBET ACT
Between 2002 and 2010 the Chinese and Tibetan sides met repeatedly for negotiations. The Tibetan side was led by the late Gyari Rinpoche, the Dalai Lama’s Special Envoy and ICT’s Executive Chair. Since 2010, however, the Chinese side has refused further dialogue despite calls for resumption from the international community.
Michael van Walt, an international law expert and member of ICT’s Advisory Board, co-authors Tibet Brief 20/20 with Miek Boltjes. This book argues that countries around the world have specific obligations to support Tibet under international law. It prompts discussions among Tibet supporters, and Sikyong Penpa Tsering referred to carrying a copy of it in a recent ICT interview.
ICT staff, Tibetan leaders, and prominent Tibet supporters in Congress repeatedly meet to discuss how new legislation could lend greater support to the resumption of Sino-Tibetan dialogue. These talks culminate in an April 2022 meeting hosted by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which the Dalai Lama’s Representative Namgyal Choedup calls “highly decisive and constructive.”
In May, Sikyong Penpa Tsering and ICT Board Chairman Richard Gere visit Washington, meeting with top US officials and influencers and building support for new initiatives on Tibet.
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) holds a hearing in June entitled “Tibet: Barriers to Settling an Unresolved Conflict.” Michael van Walt testifies, as does ICT Board Member Ellen Bork and former ICT President Tenzin Tethong. The hearing examines how US policy can support the resumption of dialogue.
In July, Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Michael McCaul (R-TX) introduce the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act, also known as the Resolve Tibet Act. It builds on the ideas from the CECC hearing and is designed to this strengthen US efforts to push the Chinese government to resolve the longstanding Tibet-China dispute through dialogue with Tibetan leaders.
In December, just before the 117th Congress comes to an end, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduce a matching bill in the Senate.
In March, Tibet Lobby Day 2023 brings 160 Tibetan Americans and Tibet supporters to Capitol Hill to build support for the Resolve Tibet Act. Their efforts result in new co-sponsors signing their names onto the bill in the House and Senate.
At the same time, the CECC holds another hearing on Tibet to examine growing restrictions on linguistic and cultural rights in Tibet and transnational repression faced by Tibetans abroad. Richard Gere and Sikyong Penpa Tsering testify, among others. After the hearing, members of Congress hold a press conference in front of the Capitol with Richard Gere calling for passage of the Resolve Tibet Act.
That summer, Tibetan communities including those in New York, Minnesota, Colorado, and Virginia signed tens of thousands of postcards to their senators and representatives asking them to co-sponsor the bill.
In October, Richard Gere and Sikyong Penpa Tsering again travel to Washington, meeting with Congressional leaders, Biden administration officials, local Tibetan Americans, and journalists to build support for the bill.
In November, the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted unanimously to approve the Resolve Tibet Act, marking a significant step forward for the bill. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., a main sponsor of the bill, said in a statement: “My bill requires the State Department to counter the PRC’s disinformation about Tibet, its history and its institutions, including that of the Dalai Lama. Rather than lie about the history of Tibet, I call on the Chinese Government to restart dialogue with the Dalai Lama to resolve the long-standing dispute between Tibet and China and respect the aspirations of the Tibetan people.”
In February, the House of Representatives passed the Resolve Tibet Act in an overwhelming bipartisan vote. Rep. Young Kim raised it for the vote, saying: “Tibetans are democracy-loving people who wish to freely practice their religion and have their distinct identity acknowledged and respected. I’m proud to play a small part in supporting this dream for the Tibetan people.”
In March, Tibet Lobby Day 2024 brought a record-breaking number of participants to Washington to support the bill. More than 200 Tibetan Americans and Tibet supporters met with nearly 100 congressional offices, and the following weeks brought a surge of new Senate co-sponsors.
April brought the approval of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which came as Sikyong Penpa Tsering returned to Washington once more to push for the bill alongside Richard Gere. With this key hurdle out of the way, the Resolve Tibet Act moved to the Senate floor.
On May 23, 2024, the Senate unanimously approved the Resolve Tibet Act. Senator Jeff Merkley, an original sponsor, said: “All peoples around the world have inalienable rights to freedom and self-determination, including the Tibetans,” while Senator Todd Young noted that “the Senate’s vote to pass this legislation demonstrates America’s resolve that the CCP’s status quo – both in Tibet and elsewhere – is not acceptable.”
Although it had now been passed by both the House and Senate, the Resolve Tibet Act emerged from the two legislative bodies with minor wording differences that necessitated a return to the House floor for final passage. It was approved on June 12 in another landslide, with 391 votes in favor.
