S. 138 

One Hundred Eighteenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE SECOND SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and twenty four 

An Act 

To amend the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 to modify certain provisions of that 

Act. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Promoting a Resolution to the 

Tibet-China Dispute Act’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

Congress finds the following: 

(1) It has been the long-standing policy of the United 

States to encourage meaningful and direct dialogue between 

representatives of the People’s Republic of China and the Dalai 

Lama, his or her representatives, or democratically elected 

leaders of the Tibetan community, without preconditions, to 

seek a settlement that resolves differences. 

(2) Nine rounds of dialogue held between 2002 and 2010 

between the People’s Republic of China authorities and the 

14th Dalai Lama’s representatives failed to produce a settlement that resolved differences, and the two sides have held 

no formal dialogue since January 2010. 

(3) An obstacle to further dialogue is that the Government 

of the People’s Republic of China continues to impose conditions 

on substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama, including a 

demand that he say that Tibet has been part of China since 

ancient times, which the Dalai Lama has refused to do because 

it is inaccurate. 

(4) Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and 

Political Rights and Article 1 of the International Covenant 

on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provide, ‘‘All peoples 

have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right 

they freely determine their political status and freely pursue 

their economic, social and cultural development.’’. 

(5) The United States Government has never taken the 

position that Tibet was a part of China since ancient times. 

(6) China signed the International Covenant on Civil and 

Political Rights on October 5, 1998, and ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 

on March 27, 2001. 

(7) Under international law, including United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2625, the right to self-determination 

is the right of a people to determine its own destiny and 

the exercise of this right can result in a variety of outcomes 
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ranging from independence, federation, protection, some form 

of autonomy, or full integration within a State. 

(8) United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1723, 

adopted on December 20, 1961, called for the ‘‘cessation of 

practices which deprive the Tibetan people of their fundamental 

human rights and freedoms, including their right to self-determination’’. 

(9) Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a May 26, 2022, 

speech entitled ‘‘The Administration’s Approach to the People’s 

Republic of China’’, said that the rules-based international 

order’s ‘‘founding documents include the UN Charter and the 

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrined concepts like self-determination, sovereignty, the peaceful settlement of disputes. These are not Western constructs. They are 

reflections of the world’s shared aspirations.’’. 

(10) The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note), 

as amended by the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 

(subtitle E of title III of division FF of Public Law 116–260), 

in directing the United States Government ‘‘to promote the 

human rights and distinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and 

historical identity of the Tibetan people’’ acknowledges that 

the Tibetan people possess a distinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity. 

(11) Department of State reports on human rights and 

religious freedom have consistently documented systematic 

repression by the authorities of the People’s Republic of China 

against Tibetans as well as acts of defiance and resistance 

by Tibetan people against the People’s Republic of China policies. 

(12) The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) 

specifies that the central objective of the United States Special 

Coordinator for Tibetan Issues is to promote substantive dialogue between the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

and the Dalai Lama, his or her representatives, or democratically elected leaders of the Tibetan community. 

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

It is the policy of the United States— 

(1) that the Tibetan people are a people with a distinct 

religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity; 

(2) that the dispute between Tibet and the People’s 

Republic of China must be resolved in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Charter, by peaceful 

means, through dialogue without preconditions; 

(3) that the People’s Republic of China should cease its 

propagation of disinformation about the history of Tibet, the 

Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions, including that of the 

Dalai Lama; 

(4) to encourage the People’s Republic of China to ratify 

the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and 

uphold all its commitments under the International Covenant 

on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and 

(5) in accordance with the Tibetan Policy and Support 

Act of 2020— 

(A) to promote substantive dialogue without pre-conditions, between the Government of the People’s Republic 

of China and the Dalai Lama, his or her representatives, 
S. 138—3 

or democratically elected leaders of the Tibetan community, 

or explore activities to improve prospects for dialogue, that 

leads to a negotiated agreement on Tibet; 

(B) to coordinate with other governments in multilateral efforts towards the goal of a negotiated agreement 

on Tibet; and 

(C) to encourage the Government of the People’s 

Republic of China to address the aspirations of the Tibetan 

people with regard to their distinct historical, cultural, 

religious, and linguistic identity. 

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

It is the sense of Congress that— 

(1) claims made by officials of the People’s Republic of 

China and the Chinese Communist Party that Tibet has been 

a part of China since ancient times are historically inaccurate; 

(2) the current policies of the People’s Republic of China 

are systematically suppressing the ability of the Tibetan people 

to preserve their religion, culture, language, history, way of 

life, and environment; 

(3) the Government of the People’s Republic of China is 

failing to meet the expectations of the United States to engage 

in meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives or to reach a negotiated resolution that includes the 

aspirations of the Tibetan people; and 

(4) United States public diplomacy efforts should counter 

disinformation about Tibet from the Government of the People’s 

Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, including 

disinformation about the history of Tibet, the Tibetan people, 

and Tibetan institutions, including that of the Dalai Lama. 

SEC. 5. MODIFICATIONS TO THE TIBETAN POLICY ACT OF 2002. 

(a) TIBET NEGOTIATIONS.—Section 613(b) of the Tibetan Policy 

Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) is amended— 

(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting 

a semicolon; 

(2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end 

and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 

‘‘(4) efforts to counter disinformation about Tibet from the 

Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese 

Communist Party, including disinformation about the history 

of Tibet, the Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions, including 

that of the Dalai Lama.’’. 

(b) UNITED STATES SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR TIBETAN

ISSUES.—Section 621(d) of the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 

6901 note) is amended— 

(1) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), and (8) as paragraphs (7), (8), and (9), respectively; and 

(2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following new paragraph: 

‘‘(6) work with relevant bureaus of the Department of State 

and the United States Agency for International Development 

to ensure that United States Government statements and documents counter, as appropriate, disinformation about Tibet from 

the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the 

Chinese Communist Party, including disinformation about the 
S. 138—4 

history of Tibet, the Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions, 

including that of the Dalai Lama;’’. 

(c) DEFINITION.—The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 

6901 note) is amended by adding at the end the following new 

section: 

‘‘SEC. 622. DEFINITION. 

‘‘For purposes of this Act, the term ‘Tibet’ refers to the following 

areas: 

‘‘(1) The Tibet Autonomous Region. 

‘‘(2) The areas that the Government of the People’s Republic 

of China designated as Tibetan Autonomous, as of 2018, as 

follows: 

‘‘(A) Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, 

and Pari (Tianzhu) Tibetan Autonomous County located 

in Gansu Province. 

‘‘(B) Golog (Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, 

Malho (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, 

Tsojang (Haibei) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Tsolho 

(Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Tsonub (Haixi) 

Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and 

Yulshul (Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, located 

in Qinghai Province. 

‘‘(C) Garze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, 

Ngawa (Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, 

and Muli (Mili) Tibetan Autonomous County, located in 

Sichuan Province. 

‘‘(D) Dechen (Diqing) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, 

located in Yunnan Province.’’. 

SEC. 6. AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS TO COUNTER DISINFORMATION 

ABOUT TIBET. 

Amounts authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made 

available under section 346 of the Tibetan Policy and Support 

Act of 2020 (subtitle E of title III of division FF of Public Law 

116–260) are authorized to be made available to counter 

disinformation about Tibet from the Government of the People’s 

Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, including 
S. 138—5 

disinformation about the history of Tibet, the Tibetan people, and 

Tibetan institutions, including that of the Dalai Lama. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.