Biden’s Tibet Stance Draws Criticism Despite Signing Landmark Act

By Tsering Choephel

DHARAMSALA, 18 July: The New York and New Jersey Chapter of the Tibetan National Congress has written to US President Joe Biden in protest of his reiterating the US policy that recognises Tibet as part of China while announcing the passage of the “Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act” on 12 July.

Expressing disappointment, the letter reads: “We appreciate your signing of S. 138, the Promoting a Resolution Act. However, we were disheartened by your subsequent statement. Although you expressed support for freedom, democracy, and human rights for Tibetans, your recognition of Tibet as part of China contradicts these values. Tibet has never been a part of China, and we continue to struggle for our freedom from communist China.”

The Resolve Tibet Act, now a law, is a milestone victory for years of advocacy efforts led by the Central Tibetan Administration(CTA), the International Campaign for Tibet, and other organisations. While Tibetans celebrate Biden’s signature, which embeds the bill into US law, his subsequent statements stating that “The Act does not change longstanding bipartisan United States policy to recognise the Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas of China as part of the People’s Republic of China” have aroused disappointment and discussions among Tibetans.

CTA held a ceremony on Wednesday in the Sikyong Hall at Gangchen Kyishong to celebrate the US government’s adoption of the bill into law. As multiple online posts and reports on Tibet.net show, Tibetan communities in various parts of India, including Shimla, Gangtok, and Varanasi, among others, also held celebratory functions at their locations.

A Tibetan netizen said in an Instagram post, “I don’t know how to greet or celebrate this development,” in an apparent disappointment as the bill was lauded as a game-changer before it went to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

Another Tibetan netizen declared it a great achievement and, in a post on Facebook, thanked all the individuals and organisations for working tirelessly, as well as the bipartisan support from the US Congress. However, he called out President Biden for “his unnecessary comments in the press statement, seemingly to appease China,” saying it “unfortunately discredited the new law.”