Tibetan Parliament Congratulates Trump, 47th POTUS; Activists Protest Chinese VP’s Presence at Swearing-in Ceremony
By Tenzin Chokyi

DHARAMSALA 21, Jan: Activists from Tibet, Hong Kong and Uyghur have denounced the presence of Chinese Vice President Han Zheng at the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 47th President of the US on Monday, “calling on the US to stand firm in its commitment to human rights and ensure that its policy reflects its democratic value.”
The joint statement issued by Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), the Washingtonian Supporting Hong Kong (DC4HK), and the Uyghur American Association (UAA) called on the incoming administration “to foreground human rights in its engagement with China and to hold Beijing accountable for its atrocities in Tibet, East Turkestan, and Hong Kong”.
The group has further called on the Trump administration to take strong action by engaging with Tibetan, Uyghur, and Hong Kong diasporas leaders to demonstrate solidarity.
The statement urged the expansion of sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for human rights violations. It advocated for measures that promote accountability, such as supporting the Tibet-China Disputes Act and the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act.
Additionally, 25 activists – including members from the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress(TYC) New York/New Jersey, Washington DC chapter, Students for a Free Tibet, Tibetan independence activist Thupten Choenyi, and several Uyghur activists – staged a protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in DC to oppose the Chinese Premier’s presence.
At the protest organised by the New York/New Jersey TYC, the activists shouted slogans such as “China, stop the genocide in Tibet,” “Tibet is Not Xizang,” and Close China’s colonial boarding schools in Tibet” among others.
The President of the organisation New York/New Jersey TYC said that the Chinese Premier is not welcome in the US until China stops its repression in Tibet, ends its policy of destroying Tibetan culture and religion, and resolves the Tibetan issue.
Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, the speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPIE) on behalf of all Tibetans both within and outside of Tibet expressed appreciation and gratitude for the US commitment to the promotion of democracy and human rights and the enduring bipartisan support.
“We look forward to your continued efforts in facilitating the resolution of the Sino-Tibetan Conflict, particularly through the Middle Way Approach”, the Speaker wrote in his congratulatory remarks to the 47th US President on Tibet.net, the official webpage of the Central Tibetan Administration.
The presence of the Chinese VP, along with Indian External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukeke and Japanese foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya marks the first instance in US history where world leaders attended the swearing-in ceremony of a US President.