By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Dec. 24: China on Tuesday warned that it would impose retaliatory measures against US officials and their families responsible for the legislation passed by the Congress, noting that it will not tolerate any interference in its internal affairs. The US Congress approved a $900-billion COVID-19 relief package on Monday which also included the Tibetan Policy and Support Act (TPSA) and other acts regarding Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The act directs the US government to issue economic and visa sanctions against any Chinese official who interferes with the reincarnation of the next Dalai Lama. It also prohibits China from establishing any new consulates in the US until it is granted its own diplomatic consulate in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called on the US President Trump to not sign it into law, “We urge the US side to stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and not to sign into law or implement negative content and clauses in relation to China in relevant acts, so as not to further harm bilateral cooperation and the overall situation of China-US relations.” He further said that the Chinese government is determined to safeguard China’s sovereignty, security and development interests.
The TPSA makes it official US policy that decision regarding the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama is exclusively within the authority of the Tibetan people. Earlier this year, the Trump administration placed a series of sanctions including visa bans and financial restrictions on Chinese government officials and Communist Party members as the ties between the two countries strained over issues of human rights, COVID-19 and trade.
US State of Secretary Mike Pompeo on Monday said that CCP officials were “involved in the horrific abuses taking place in Xinjiang, restrictions on access to Tibet, and the destruction of Hong Kong’s promised autonomy.” He remarked that the passage of the bill will ensure restrictions on government officials engaged in such repressive activities.
