IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 89 

Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to United States policy toward 

Tibet and that the treatment of the Tibetan people should be an important factor in the conduct of United States relations with the People’s 

Republic of China. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 1, 2017 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. YOHO, and Mr. SHERMAN) 

submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the 

Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of Congress with respect to United 

States policy toward Tibet and that the treatment of 

the Tibetan people should be an important factor in 

the conduct of United States relations with the People’s 

Republic of China. 

Whereas, on October 17, 2007, His Holiness the 14th Dalai 

Lama (in this resolution referred to as the ‘‘Dalai 

Lama’’) was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 

recognition of his many enduring and outstanding contributions to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and religious understanding; 


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Whereas during his Congressional Gold Medal acceptance 

speech, Dalai Lama stated, ‘‘The time has come for our 

dialogue with the Chinese leadership to progress towards 

the successful implementation of a meaningful autonomy 

for Tibet, as guaranteed in the Chinese constitution and 

detailed in the Chinese State Council ‘White Paper on 

Regional Ethnic Autonomy of Tibet’ ’’; 

Whereas the Dalai Lama continues to advance the goal of 

greater understanding, tolerance, harmony, and respect 

among the different religious faiths of the world through 

interfaith dialogue and outreach to other religious leaders; 

Whereas the Dalai Lama continues to use his moral authority 

to promote the concept of universal responsibility as a 

guiding tenet for how human beings should treat one another and the planet we share; 

Whereas in the ten years since the Dalai Lama accepted the 

Congressional Gold Medal, China has implemented increasingly repressive policies in Tibet, including— 

(1) travel restrictions against Tibetans and United 

States citizens; 

(2) restrictive regulations on religious affairs; 

(3) censorship of Buddhist literature and information; 

(4) demolition of Tibetan Buddhist sites; 

(5) imprisonment of Tibetan prisoners of conscience; 

and 

(6) declarations that ‘‘Decision-making power over 

the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and over the end of 

survival of his lineage resides with the central government of China’’; 


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•HCON 89 IH 

Whereas, on April 15, 2015, the Chinese State Council released a white paper entitled ‘‘Tibet’s Path of Development Is Driven by an Irresistible Historical Tide’’, which 

stated that ‘‘there is no prospect of [a high degree of autonomy for Tibet] ever coming to pass’’ and furthermore 

stated that Tibet had been part of China ‘‘since ancient 

times’’; 

Whereas in recent years, Tibetan nomads, who have lived as 

nomadic herders on the Tibetan Plateau for centuries, 

have been banned from grazing in certain areas of the 

Tibetan Plateau and hundreds of Tibetan herders have 

been forcibly relocated by Chinese government officials 

into ‘‘socialist villages’’; 

Whereas in September 2017, the Government of China adopted additional restrictive regulations on governmental control over the practice of religion and expressed an intention that the government should ‘‘actively guide religion 

to fit within socialist society’’; 

Whereas these 2017 regulations state that ‘‘religious groups, 

religious schools, religious activity sites and religious citizens shall abide by the Constitution, laws, regulations 

and rules; practice the core socialist values; [and] preserve the unification of the country, ethnic unity and religious harmony and social stability’’; 

Whereas these 2017 regulations, scheduled for implementation by the Chinese government beginning February 

2018, would explicitly ban unregistered religious groups 

from teaching about religion, establishing religious colleges, going abroad to take part in religious training or 

gatherings, or otherwise engage in activities that ‘‘endanger national security’’; 


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Whereas the Department of State stated in the 2016 Report 

on Tibet Negotiations that ‘‘[t]he Dalai Lama’s representatives and Chinese officials from the United Front 

Work Department have not met directly since the ninth 

round of dialogue in January 2010’’; 

Whereas 2016 International Religious Freedom Report for 

China published by the Department of State stated, ‘‘In 

the [Tibet Autonomous Region] and other Tibetan areas, 

authorities engaged in widespread interference in religious practices, especially in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and nunneries’’; 

Whereas the 2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for China published by the Department of State 

stated, ‘‘Under the professed objectives of controlling border areas, maintaining social stability, combating separatism, and extracting natural resources, the government 

engaged in the severe repression of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage by, among other 

means, strictly curtailing the civil rights of the Tibetan 

population, including the freedoms of speech, religion, association, assembly, and movement’’; 

Whereas since 2009, 150 Tibetans have self-immolated to 

protest against China’s rule in Tibet and most Tibetans 

publicly call for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet; 

Whereas the Chinese government has refused to allow an 

independent investigation into the causes of the self-immolations and has instead criminalized them, by imprisoning the survivors and collectively punishing the relatives, friends and villagers of the self-immolators, as 

documented by the International Campaign for Tibet; 


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Whereas Congress has a long history of support for Tibet, including— 

(1) declaring that the United States should make 

Tibet issue a higher policy priority; 

(2) declaring that the United States should urge 

China to establish a constructive dialogue with the Dalai 

Lama; 

(3) requiring Voice of America and Radio Free Asia 

to begin broadcasts in the Tibetan language; 

(4) mandating that Tibet be listed separately in the 

annual Country Reports on Human Rights published by 

the Department of State; 

(5) requiring a report from the Department of State 

on the state of negotiations between the representatives 

of the Tibetan people and the Chinese government; 

(6) establishing educational and cultural exchange 

programs with Tibet; 

(7) providing humanitarian, food, medical, vocational 

training, primary and secondary education, and other assistance to Tibetan refugees; 

(8) funding programs to promote and preserve Tibetan culture and the resilience of Tibetan communities 

in India and Nepal; 

(9) funding a scholarship program for Tibetan refugees to study in the United States; 

(10) providing assistance to nongovernmental organizations working to preserve the Tibetan environment 

and cultural traditions; and 

(11) appropriating funds for National Endowment 

for Democracy programs related to Tibet; 

Whereas section 901(b)(6) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 (Public Law 

101–246; 22 U.S.C. 2651 note) stated that United 


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States policy toward China should be explicitly linked 

with the situation in Tibet, specifically including— 

(1) lifting martial law in Lhasa and other parts of 

Tibet; 

(2) opening Tibet to foreigners, including the press 

and international human rights organizations; 

(3) releasing Tibetan political prisoners; and 

(4) conducting negotiations between representatives 

of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government; 

Whereas the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 

note), signed into law on September 30, 2002— 

(1) established United States principles with respect 

to human rights, religious freedom, political prisoners, 

and economic development projects in Tibet; 

(2) established in statute the position of the Special 

Coordinator for Tibetan Issues in the Department of 

State; 

(3) established annual reporting requirements on 

Sino-Tibetan negotiations and safeguarding Tibet’s distinct cultural identity, both by the Secretary of State and 

by the congressionally established Congressional-Executive Commission on China; 

(4) mandated the provision of Tibetan language 

training to interested foreign service officers; 

(5) required Federal officials to raise issues of religious freedom and political prisoners; and 

(6) urged the Secretary of State to seek establishment of an office in Lhasa; 

Whereas the President will visit China on November 8, 2017, 

for a series of bilateral, commercial, and cultural events 

including meetings with President Xi Jinping, who has 


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been reappointed as the Chinese Communist Party Leader by the 19th Congress held from October 18 through 

24, 2017; and 

Whereas it is in line with United States national security interests and values to oppose China’s increasingly repressive policies toward Tibet and work towards a negotiated 

solution: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that it should 

3 be the policy of the United States to— 

4 (1) make the treatment of the Tibetan people 

5 an important factor in the conduct of United States 

6 relations with the People’s Republic of China; 

7 (2) consistent with the Tibetan Policy Act of 

8 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note)— 

9 (A) encourage the Government of the Peo10 ple’s Republic of China to enter into a dialogue 

11 with the Dalai Lama or his representatives 

12 leading to a negotiated agreement with respect 

13 to Tibet; 

14 (B) publicly call for the immediate and un15 conditional release of all those held prisoner for 

16 expressing their political or religious views in 

17 the Tibet Autonomous Region and other Ti18 betan areas; and 

19 (C) establish an office in Lhasa, Tibet, to 

20 assist visiting United States citizens and to 


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1 monitor political, economic, and cultural devel2 opments in Tibet; 

3 (3) appoint the Special Coordinator for Tibetan 

4 Issues at the highest levels of government; 

5 (4) revoke appropriate privileges of any Chinese 

6 official found to be responsible for impeding access 

7 of United States citizens, including Tibetan-Ameri8 cans, to Tibet and ensure that reciprocal visa proc9 essing measures are occurring in accordance with 

10 the rules and regulations of the Department of 

11 State; 

12 (5) continue to designate China as a country of 

13 particular concern pursuant to section 402 of the 

14 International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 

15 U.S.C. 6442(b)); 

16 (6) engage with appropriate officials of the Chi17 nese government to— 

18 (A) stop the demolition of Tibetan Bud19 dhist religious institutions; 

20 (B) revise religious and travel regulations 

21 to conform with international human rights 

22 standards; and 

23 (C) ensure that Tibetan nomads are al24 lowed to continue their way of life on the Ti25 betan Plateau, which they have helped to preVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:41 Nov 02, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HC89.IH HC89

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1 serve for centuries, and are not forcibly relo2 cated into ‘‘socialist villages’’. 

Æ 


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