IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 337 

Calling for substantive dialogue, without preconditions, in order to address 

Tibetan grievances and secure a negotiated agreement for the Tibetan people. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 24, 2015 

Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mr. SALMON, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. PITTS, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. GRAYSON, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. SIRES, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. CAPUANO, Ms. JACKSON LEE, 

Mr. LEWIS, Mr. BEYER, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. DESJARLAIS, Mr. 

CICILLINE, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. POLIS, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. HONDA, 

Mr. RIBBLE, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Ms. 

CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, and Mr. BERA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for substantive dialogue, without preconditions, in 

order to address Tibetan grievances and secure a negotiated agreement for the Tibetan people. 

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; 


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•HRES 337 IH 

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 


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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 


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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 


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Whereas the American people have a long-held concern for 

and interest in the plight of the Tibetan people: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) calls on the United States Government to 

3 fully implement sections 613(a) and 621(c) of the 

4 Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 by strongly encouraging 

5 representatives of the Government of the People’s 

6 Republic of China and His Holiness the Dalai Lama 

7 to hold substantive dialogue, in keeping with the Ti8 betan Policy Act of 2002 and without preconditions, 

9 in order to address Tibetan grievances and secure a 

10 negotiated agreement for the Tibetan people; 

11 (2) calls on the United States Government to 

12 fully implement section 618 of the Tibetan Policy 

13 Act of 2002 in regard to the establishment of an of14 fice in Lhasa, Tibet, to monitor political, economic 

15 and cultural developments in Tibet, and to provide 

16 consular protection and citizen services; 

17 (3) urges the United States Government— 

18 (A) to consistently raise Tibetan human 

19 rights and political and religious freedom con20 cerns at the United States-China Strategic and 

21 Economic Dialogue and other high-level bilat22 eral meetings; 


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1 (B) and the Special Coordinator for Ti2 betan Issues to offer their assistance to China 

3 in its preparations for a potential future Sixth 

4 Tibet Work Form; and 

5 (C) to call for the immediate and uncondi6 tional release of Tibetan political prisoners, in7 cluding Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Pan8 chen Lama, who was taken into custody by the 

9 Chinese authorities and has been missing since 

10 1995, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, and Khenpo 

11 Kartse (Khenpo Karma Tsewang); 

12 (4) calls on the United States Government to 

13 underscore that government interference in the Ti14 betan reincarnation process is a violation of the 

15 internationally recognized right to religious freedom 

16 and to highlight the fact that other countries besides 

17 China have long Tibetan Buddhist traditions, and 

18 that matters related to reincarnations in Tibetan 

19 Buddhism are of keen interest to Tibetan Buddhist 

20 populations worldwide; 

21 (5) calls on the United States Government to 

22 recognize and increase global public awareness and 

23 monitoring of the upcoming electoral process 

24 through which the Tibetan people in exile will choose 


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1 the next democratically elected leader of the Central 

2 Tibetan Administration, the Sikyong; 

3 (6) calls on the United States Government to 

4 fully implement section 616 of the Tibetan Policy 

5 Act of 2002 by using its voice and vote to encourage 

6 development organizations and agencies to design 

7 and implement development projects that fully com8 ply with the Tibet Project Principles; 

9 (7) calls on United States and international 

10 governments, organizations, and civil society to 

11 renew and reinforce initiatives to promote the pres12 ervation of the distinct religious, cultural, linguistic, 

13 and national identity of the Tibetan people; 

14 (8) calls on the Government of the People’s Re15 public of China to allow unrestricted access to the 

16 Tibetan areas of China to United States officials, 

17 journalists, and other United States citizens; 

18 (9) affirms the Dalai Lama’s desire for a nego19 tiated agreement for the Tibetan people, and urges 

20 the Chinese government to enter into negotiations 

21 with the Dalai Lama and his representatives; and 

22 (10) reaffirms the unwavering friendship be23 tween the people of the United States and the people 

24 of Tibet. 

Æ 


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