One sponsor of the resolution, Representative Howard Berman, said “our friends in China” should consider the resolution not as an attack but as a call to re-engage with the Dalai Lama.
“We have deep, deep respect for both peoples” of China and Tibet, Berman said.
“But after eight rounds of fruitless meetings between the Chinese government and representatives of the Dalai Lama, it appears to many of us that China is not serious about achieving a resolution of this difficult issue,” he said.



