By Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 2: President Joe Biden is slated to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for a “constructive conversation” in San Francisco this November, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at the White House press briefing on Tuesday. Biden is expected to meet Xi during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled from November 11-17.
The Washington-based Tibet advocacy group, International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) released a statement on Oct. 31, urging President Biden to address the Tibet-China conflict resolution not only in private discussions with Chinese leader Xi Jinping but also publicly. ICT has been consistently conveying this message to the Biden administration, including at the end of October when they learned about the upcoming Biden-Xi meeting. The organization emphasised the importance of elevating efforts to support dialogue on Tibet. Furthermore, ICT is initiating a petition campaign directed at President Biden, urging him to advocate for the Tibetan people during his discussions with Xi Jinping.
“The Tibetan Policy Act mandates that the president and the secretary of state should in their meetings with Chinese leaders encourage them to enter into a dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, leading to a negotiated agreement on Tibet,” ICT President Tencho Gyatso stated.
The United States has a long history of supporting Tibet, which has resulted in the passage of multiple laws aimed at addressing the Tibet-China conflict. This year, both Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate have reintroduced the “Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Conflict Act,” a bipartisan bill that will exert pressure on China to resume negotiations. This legislation mandates that the U.S. administration, including the President, actively encourage Chinese officials to engage in dialogue with representatives of the Dalai Lama.
Notably, Chinese leaders engaged in ten rounds of dialogue with the Dalai Lama’s envoys between 2002 and 2010. However, since that time, no further talks have taken place, while the situation in Tibet has continued to deteriorate.
President Biden during his 2020 campaign committed to “work with our allies in pressing Beijing to return to direct dialogue with the representatives of the Tibetan people to achieve meaningful autonomy, respect for human rights, and the preservation of Tibet’s environment as well as its unique cultural, linguistic and religious traditions.”
President Biden and China’s President Xi last met on Nov. 14, 2022, on the side lines of the G20 leaders’ summit in Bali, Indonesia.
