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, tol-
erance, 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 lin-
guistic heritage of the Tibetan people while at the same 
time promoting the safeguarding of other endangered cul-
tures 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;
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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 po-
litically sensitive events and religious anniversaries,’’ and 
‘‘[o]fficial interference in the practice of Tibetan Bud-
dhist religious traditions continued to generate profound 
grievances’’; 
Whereas the Department of State has designated China as a 
‘‘country of particular concern’’ (CPC) for religious free-
dom since 1999, and in its 2013 human rights report de-
tails that ‘‘under the banner of maintaining social sta-
bility and combating separatism, the [Chinese] govern-
ment 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 free-
doms 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 Govern-
ment’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 representa-
tives 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 En-
voys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama are ready to engage
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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 Gov-
ernment of the People’s Republic of China and the Dalai 
Lama or his representatives to reach a negotiated agree-
ment 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 representa-
tives of the Government of the People’s Republic of 
China and His Holiness the Dalai Lama to hold sub-
stantive 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;
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(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 devel-
opments 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 Dia-
logue and other high-level bilateral meetings; 
(B) and the Special Coordinator for Tibetan 
Issues to offer their assistance to China in its prep-
arations 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 authori-
ties and has been missing since 1995, Tenzin Delek 
Rinpoche, and Khenpo Kartse (Khenpo Karma 
Tsewang); 
(4) calls on the United States Government to un-
derscore that government interference in the Tibetan re-
incarnation process is a violation of the internationally
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recognized right to religious freedom and to highlight 
the fact that other countries besides China have long Ti-
betan 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 recog-
nize and increase global public awareness and moni-
toring of the upcoming electoral process through which 
the Tibetan people in exile will choose the next demo-
cratically elected leader of the Central Tibetan Adminis-
tration, 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 or-
ganizations and agencies to design and implement devel-
opment projects that fully comply with the Tibet Project 
Principles; 
(7) calls on United States and international govern-
ments, organizations, and civil society to renew and rein-
force initiatives to promote the preservation of the dis-
tinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and national identity 
of the Tibetan people; 
(8) calls on the Government of the People’s Repub-
lic of China to allow unrestricted access to the Tibetan
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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.