Tibet’s Dalai Lama and Richard Gere at the National Endowment for Democracy.
Tibet remains one of the most sensitive issues in U.S.-China relations, according to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China:
Inside Tibet and Tibetan autonomous areas, Chinese officials have increased restrictions on the religious and cultural life of Tibetans. At the same time, the Chinese government exports its authoritarianism abroad, pressuring foreign academic institutions who invite the Dalai Lama to speak on campus as well as businesses who mention his name or Tibet as a distinct region in China. There are more than 500 records of Tibetan political or religious prisoners currently in detention who are in the CECC’s Political Prisoner Database—a staggering figure that is far from exhaustive.
These issues—along with the future question of the Dalai Lama’s succession, restricted access to Tibet for diplomats and journalists, and China’s efforts to control water resources and expand its military presence on the Tibetan plateau—complicate U.S. strategic options and human rights diplomacy.
In a forthcoming hearing, the Commission will hear from Dhondup Wangchen (alternate spelling: Dondrub Wangchen), a Tibetan filmmaker and former political prisoner, and other experts who will provide information about the current situation facing Tibetans in China and offer their recommendations on how to promote access, human rights, and better American diplomacy on the issue of Tibet within U.S.-China relations.
The hearing will be live-streamed via the CECC’s YouTube Channel.
Witnesses:
Dhondup Wangchen: Tibetan filmmaker and recently escaped political prisoner
Tenzin Dorjee: Commissioner, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and Associate Professor, California State University, Fullerton
Michael J. Green: Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Tibet “From All Angles”: Protecting Human Rights, Defending Strategic Access, and Challenging China’s Export of Censorship Globally
Wednesday, February 14
301 Russell Senate Office Building
Capitol Hill
Washington, DC
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
