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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 337 Engrossed in House (EH)]

H. Res. 337

                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                          July 8, 2015.
Whereas Tibet is the center of Tibetan Buddhism, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama 
        is the most revered figure in Tibetan Buddhism worldwide;
Whereas the Chinese response to the Tibetan Uprising in 1959 led to the exile of 
        Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual and 
        temporal leader;
Whereas His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, who on July 6, 2015, celebrates his 
        80th birthday, has for over 50 years in exile significantly advanced 
        greater understanding, tolerance, harmony and respect among the 
        religious faiths of the world;
Whereas His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has led the effort to preserve the rich 
        cultural, religious, historical and linguistic heritage of the Tibetan 
        people while at the same time promoting the safeguarding of other 
        endangered cultures throughout the world;
Whereas His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has personally promoted democratic 
        self-government for Tibetans in exile and in 2011 turned over political 
        authority to the democratically elected leadership of the Central 
        Tibetan Administration;
Whereas His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has been greatly concerned by the state 
        of the Tibetan environment and the exploitation of its natural 
        resources, including fresh water--as rivers originating in the Tibetan 
        plateau support one-third of the world's population--and has promoted 
        environmental awareness in the region;
Whereas His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 
        1989 in recognition of his efforts to seek a peaceful resolution to the 
        situation in Tibet, and to promote non-violent methods for resolving 
        conflict;
Whereas His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was awarded the Congressional Gold 
        Medal in 2007 in recognition of his promotion of democracy, freedom, and 
        peace for the Tibetan people; his efforts to preserve the cultural, 
        religious, and linguistic heritage of the Tibetan people; his promotion 
        of non-violence; and his contributions to global religious 
        understanding, human rights, and ecology;
Whereas His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, as the spiritual leader of Tibetan 
        Buddhism, publicly presented in 2011 the religious process which Tibetan 
        Buddhists should follow regarding his reincarnation;
Whereas the Chinese central government has attempted to interfere with the 
        reincarnation process and the practice of Tibetan Buddhist religious 
        traditions; and Chinese officials assert that the failure to secure 
        Beijing's approval on the Dalai Lama's reincarnation would make the 
        process ``illegal'';
Whereas in the words of Party official Zhu Weiqun, ``Decision-making power over 
        the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and over the end or survival of his 
        lineage, resides with the central government of China.'';
Whereas the Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report for 
        2013 noted that in Tibetan areas of China ``[r]epression was severe and 
        increased around politically sensitive events and religious 
        anniversaries,'' and ``[o]fficial interference in the practice of 
        Tibetan Buddhist religious traditions continued to generate profound 
        grievances'';
Whereas the Department of State has designated China as a ``country of 
        particular concern'' (CPC) for religious freedom since 1999, and in its 
        2013 human rights report details that ``under the banner of maintaining 
        social stability and combating separatism, the [Chinese] government has 
        engaged in the severe repression of Tibet's unique religious, cultural, 
        and linguistic heritage by, among other means, strictly curtailing the 
        civil rights of China's ethnic Tibetan population, including the 
        freedoms of speech, religion, association, assembly, and movement'';
Whereas access to Tibetan areas of China for United States officials, 
        journalists, and other United States citizens, is restricted by the 
        Government of the People's Republic of China, obscuring the full impact 
        of the Chinese Government's policies, including the disappearance of 
        Tibetans who sought to share information about human rights abuses on 
        the Tibetan Plateau;
Whereas the Department of State's 2014 Report on Tibet Negotiations noted that 
        ``The Dalai Lama's representatives and Chinese officials have not met 
        directly since the ninth round of dialogue in January 2010.'';
Whereas, on March 10, 2015, the elected Tibetan leader Sikyong Dr. Lobsang 
        Sangay publicly stated ``The Envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama are 
        ready to engage in dialogue with their Chinese counterpart any time and 
        any place.'';
Whereas it is the objective of the United States Government, consistent across 
        administrations of different political parties and as articulated in the 
        Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (subtitle B of title VI of Public Law 107-
        228; 22 U.S.C. 6901 note) to promote dialogue between the Government of 
        the People's Republic of China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives 
        to reach a negotiated agreement on Tibet;
Whereas China may be considering convening a Sixth Tibet Work Forum to set 
        policy on Tibet for the next five years or so, with the last such work 
        forum having been held in 2010; and
Whereas the American people have a long-held concern for and interest in the 
        plight of the Tibetan people: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls on the United States Government to fully implement 
        sections 613(a) and 621(c) of the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 by strongly 
        encouraging representatives of the Government of the People's Republic 
        of China and His Holiness the Dalai Lama to hold substantive dialogue, 
        in keeping with the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 and without 
        preconditions, in order to address Tibetan grievances and secure a 
        negotiated agreement for the Tibetan people;
            (2) calls on the United States Government to fully implement section 
        618 of the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 in regard to the establishment of 
        an office in Lhasa, Tibet, to monitor political, economic and cultural 
        developments in Tibet, and to provide consular protection and citizen 
        services;
            (3) urges the United States Government--
                    (A) to consistently raise Tibetan human rights and political 
                and religious freedom concerns at the United States-China 
                Strategic and Economic Dialogue and other high-level bilateral 
                meetings;
                    (B) and the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues to offer 
                their assistance to China in its preparations for a potential 
                future Sixth Tibet Work Form; and
                    (C) to call for the immediate and unconditional release of 
                Tibetan political prisoners, including Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 
                11th Panchen Lama, who was taken into custody by the Chinese 
                authorities and has been missing since 1995, Tenzin Delek 
                Rinpoche, and Khenpo Kartse (Khenpo Karma Tsewang);
            (4) calls on the United States Government to underscore that 
        government interference in the Tibetan reincarnation process is a 
        violation of the internationally recognized right to religious freedom 
        and to highlight the fact that other countries besides China have long 
        Tibetan Buddhist traditions, and that matters related to reincarnations 
        in Tibetan Buddhism are of keen interest to Tibetan Buddhist populations 
        worldwide;
            (5) calls on the United States Government to recognize and increase 
        global public awareness and monitoring of the upcoming electoral process 
        through which the Tibetan people in exile will choose the next 
        democratically elected leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, the 
        Sikyong;
            (6) calls on the United States Government to fully implement section 
        616 of the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 by using its voice and vote to 
        encourage development organizations and agencies to design and implement 
        development projects that fully comply with the Tibet Project 
        Principles;
            (7) calls on United States and international governments, 
        organizations, and civil society to renew and reinforce initiatives to 
        promote the preservation of the distinct religious, cultural, 
        linguistic, and national identity of the Tibetan people;
            (8) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to 
        allow unrestricted access to the Tibetan areas of China to United States 
        officials, journalists, and other United States citizens;
            (9) affirms the Dalai Lama's desire for a negotiated agreement for 
        the Tibetan people, and urges the Chinese government to enter into 
        negotiations with the Dalai Lama and his representatives; and
            (10) reaffirms the unwavering friendship between the people of the 
        United States and the people of Tibet.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.
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