Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Sen. John Curtis (R-NV) sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling on the Secretary to appoint a Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issue as soon as possible.
“The United States must send a strong message that we will continue standing up for the rights of the Tibetan people,” the letter states, after reviewing the historical importance of the Special Coordinator position and the repressive policies Tibetans suffer under Chinese rule. The letter also emphasized Tibet’s geopolitical relevance and China’s aggressive posture to advance its authoritarian agenda in the broader region, including through weaponizing water, conducting digital surveillance and engaging in transnational repression.
“I thank Senators Rosen and Curtis for supporting Tibet,” said ICT President Tencho Gyatso, “and I hope Secretary Rubio will select a diplomat who stands ready to implement US legislations on Tibet, promote accountability for China’s human rights abuses against Tibetans, coordinate with other countries to grow the international coalition supporting Tibet, and urge China to return to substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives.”
Special Coordinator
The Special Coordinator position has been vacant since former Under Secretary Uzra Zeya vacated it earlier this year during the transition to the Trump Administration.
The position is primarily responsible for promoting meaningful dialogue on Tibetan autonomy between the People’s Republic of China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives, protecting the unique religious, cultural and linguistic identity of Tibetans, pressing China to respect the human rights of the Tibetan people, coordinating US efforts to address the humanitarian needs of Tibetan refugees, and promoting sustainable economic development and environmental conservation on the Tibetan Plateau.
The Dalai Lama’s envoys last met with PRC officials for a formal round of Sino-Tibetan dialogue in 2010. Sikyong Penpa Tsering has recently stated that back-channel discussions are ongoing, and last year Congress passed and President Biden signed into law the Resolve Tibet Act, which expresses the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing Sino-Tibetan conflict.
Letter
The letter can be read in full here (click to enlarge).
