III 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 643 

Calling for greater dialogue between the Dalai Lama and the Government 

of China regarding rights for the people of Tibet, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 1, 2008 

Mr. SMITH (for himself and Mr. FEINGOLD) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for greater dialogue between the Dalai Lama and 

the Government of China regarding rights for the people 

of Tibet, and for other purposes. 

Whereas, on April 25, 2008, China’s official news agency 

Xinhua expressed the willingness of the Government of 

China to meet with envoys of the Dalai Lama; 

Whereas, on May 4, 2008, Special Envoy of His Holiness the 

Dalai Lama Lodi Gyari and Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen met 

with Chinese Executive Vice Minister Zhu Weiqun and 

Executive Vice Minister Sithar for one day of talks, in 

which the Government of China alleged that the Dalai 

Lama instigated the March 2008 unrest in autonomous 

Tibetan areas of China, and was sabotaging the Olympic 

Games; 


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•SRES 643 IS 

Whereas Hu Jintao, General Secretary of the Communist 

Party of China, released a statement after this meeting 

saying that his Government of China was committed to 

a ‘‘serious’’ dialogue with the Dalai Lama; 

Whereas, at the United States-European Union (EU) Summit on June 10, 2008, the United States and the European Union issued a joint statement welcoming the decision by the Government of China to hold talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama, and urged ‘‘both parties 

to move forward with a substantive, constructive and results-oriented dialogue at an early date’’; 

Whereas the Envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 

Kelsang Gyaltsen and Lodi Gyari visited Beijing from 

June 30 to July 3, 2008, to conduct the seventh round 

of the Tibetan-Chinese dialogue; 

Whereas, during these talks, the Government of China issued 

a new set of demands, including that the Dalai Lama 

prove that he does not support Tibetan independence or 

disruption of the Olympic Games in Beijing; 

Whereas the Dalai Lama has stated multiple times he does 

not favor the independence of Tibet and is instead seeking negotiations to address the legitimate grievances of, 

and provide genuine autonomy for, the Tibetan people 

within the People’s Republic of China, and is committed 

to non-violence; 

Whereas the Dalai Lama has repeatedly and publicly declared 

his support for the Olympic Games in China, as well as 

his intention to attend the opening ceremony, if invited; 

Whereas, at the conclusion of the July round of talks, officials of the Government of China did not accept a proposal by the representatives of the Dalai Lama to agree 


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to a joint statement supporting a continuation of the dialogue process; 

Whereas Special Envoy Lodi Gyari said on July 5, 2008, that 

the talks with the Government of China, called for by the 

international community, were ‘‘disappointing and difficult’’; 

Whereas, in contrast to the opinion of Special Envoy Lodi 

Gyari, President George W. Bush said on July 6, 2008, 

that ‘‘it looks like there’s some progress, at least in the 

talks with the Dalai Lama’’; 

Whereas officials of the Government of China subsequently 

stated that the talks with the Dalai Lama’s envoys are 

only about the Dalai Lama’s personal future, rather than 

about the future of Tibet; 

Whereas the Office of the Dalai Lama on July 17, 2008, restated its position that the talks are about ‘‘the future 

of 6,000,000 Tibetans in Tibet and not His Holiness the 

Dalai Lama’’; 

Whereas, on July 11, 2008, the European Parliament adopted a resolution that ‘‘welcomes the resumption of contacts, after the events of March 2008 in Lhasa, between 

the representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Chinese 

authorities’’ and ‘‘encourages the two parties to intensify 

these contacts so as to establish the bases for mutual 

trust, without which it will be impossible to arrive at a 

mutually acceptable political solution’’; 

Whereas, on the official stage during the Olympic torch’s 

relay through Lhasa on June 21, 2008, China’s Communist Party chief in the Tibet Autonomous Region 

(TAR), Zhang Qingli, said, ‘‘Tibet’s sky will never 

change and the red flag with five stars will forever flutter 


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•SRES 643 IS 

high above it. . . . [W]e will certainly be able to totally 

smash the splittist schemes of the Dalai Lama clique.’’; 

Whereas, in reference to Zhang Qingli, the International 

Olympics Committee said in a rare rebuke that it ‘‘regrets that political statements were made during the closing ceremony of the torch relay in Tibet’’; and 

Whereas China’s People’s Armed Police troops have been 

sent to monasteries in Tibetan areas to give monks ‘‘relevant information’’ about the Olympics, and Chinese authorities have stepped up ‘‘patriotic education’’ campaigns designed to conform the religious practices of Tibetan Buddhists to Communist Party rules, including 

forcing monks and nuns to denounce the Dalai Lama: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) urges the Dalai Lama or his representatives 

3 and the Government of the People’s Republic of 

4 China to begin earnest negotiations, without pre5 conditions, to provide for a mutually agreeable solu6 tion that addresses the legitimate grievances of, and 

7 provides genuine autonomy for, the Tibetan people; 

8 (2) urges that the talks in October 2008 be9 tween the Government of China and the Dalai Lama 

10 should focus on the welfare, cultural, political, and 

11 religious autonomy of the Tibetan people, and not on 

12 the person of the Dalai Lama; 

13 (3) affirms that the human rights of Tibetans 

14 and their right to practice religion free of governVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:04 Aug 02, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR643.IS SR643

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1 ment regulation is not an internal matter of any one 

2 country; 

3 (4) urges the President to take a more personal 

4 and engaged interest in the successful conclusion of 

5 these negotiations, both unilaterally and in coordina6 tion with United States allies; and 

7 (5) calls on the United States Government to 

8 press the Government of China— 

9 (A) to respect freedom of speech and free10 dom of association, as required by international 

11 law and as enshrined in the Constitution of 

12 China and to release those who have committed 

13 no crime other than peaceful protest; and 

14 (B) to end the ‘‘patriotic education’’ cam15 paign against lay and clerical Tibetans and 

16 allow Tibetans to practice their religion freely. 

Æ 


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