On Tuesday last week, the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations unanimously passed the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act, also known as the Resolve Tibet bill. The US House of Representatives had passed the resolution on Feb. 15. The next stage is for it to be reviewed in the US Senate. Given the high level of support it received in the foreign relations committee, there is a strong chance of it being passed and signed into law.
The bill calls for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to respect the rights to freedom and self-
determination of Tibetans, and to enter into negotiations with the Dalai Lama for a peaceful resolution of the Tibetan issue. It also says Tibet includes the Tibet Autonomous Region and areas inhabited by Tibetans, including Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, and calls on the CCP to stop spreading disinformation about Tibet and its history.
The bill seeks to encourage the CCP to resolve the Tibet issue in accordance with international law.
No one knows whether the bill would be signed into US law. However, if it is, the CCP is almost certain to react with indignation and anger, and it would warn the US not to interfere in China’s domestic affairs, and that it was “playing with fire.”
One might say that this is a reasonable reaction, except that all the bill seeks to do is to ensure that a peaceful resolution is sought in a genuine way, unclouded by untruths and historical distortions, and in accordance with international convention and law. Yet that is not the CCP’s way.
On this page, Khedroob Thondup, a former member of the Tibetan parliament in exile, writes about the implications of the passage of this bill into law for Tibetans, and for the potential resolution of tensions between India and China.
India is now dealing with the untruths and historical distortions propagated by the CCP regarding the border region that Beijing insists has always been part of China’s territory, and which it now calls Zangnan, or “South Tibet.”
The Philippines is also dealing with the CCP’s untruths and historical distortions about claims over the South China Sea.
On the Taiwan issue, the US is continuously trying to push back on the CCP’s untruths and historical distortions about UN Resolution 2758 and the definition of the US’ “one China policy” as opposed to the CCP’s “one China principle.”
The CCP will focus on its insistence that Tibet is a domestic issue, as it believes its claims over the South China Sea and over Taiwan to be.
However, that is not the point of the Resolve Tibet bill. The bill’s simple aim is that the issue be resolved in accordance with historical veracity and international law, and with respect for people’s right to self-determination.
This is why the CCP will rebuff the encouragement called for in the Resolve Tibet bill. The CCP has no interest in history or international law or the rights of people unless these things serve its own interests. They are merely tools to achieve an end, and the final arbiter is where the power lies.
Tibet has no power without the support of the international community and a recognition of the injustice of its predicament. Taiwan is in the same position, although the free world is waking up to the fact that Taiwan has long been subjected to the CCP’s position that power makes right.
The Tibetans welcome the impetus that led to the proposal of the Resolve Tibet bill. So will India. And so should all Taiwanese.
There is a modern roadway stretching from central Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland in the Horn of Africa, to the partially recognized state’s Egal International Airport. Emblazoned on a gold plaque marking the road’s inauguration in July last year, just below the flags of Somaliland and the Republic of China (ROC), is the road’s official name: “Taiwan Avenue.” The first phase of construction of the upgraded road, with new sidewalks and a modern drainage system to reduce flooding, was 70 percent funded by Taipei, which contributed US$1.85 million. That is a relatively modest sum for the effect on international perception, and
At the end of last year, a diplomatic development with consequences reaching well beyond the regional level emerged. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign state, paving the way for political, economic and strategic cooperation with the African nation. The diplomatic breakthrough yields, above all, substantial and tangible benefits for the two countries, enhancing Somaliland’s international posture, with a state prepared to champion its bid for broader legitimacy. With Israel’s support, Somaliland might also benefit from the expertise of Israeli companies in fields such as mineral exploration and water management, as underscored by Israeli Minister of
When former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) first took office in 2016, she set ambitious goals for remaking the energy mix in Taiwan. At the core of this effort was a significant expansion of the percentage of renewable energy generated to keep pace with growing domestic and global demands to reduce emissions. This effort met with broad bipartisan support as all three major parties placed expanding renewable energy at the center of their energy platforms. However, over the past several years partisanship has become a major headwind in realizing a set of energy goals that all three parties profess to want. Tsai
An elderly mother and her daughter were found dead in Kaohsiung after having not been seen for several days, discovered only when a foul odor began to spread and drew neighbors’ attention. There have been many similar cases, but it is particularly troubling that some of the victims were excluded from the social welfare safety net because they did not meet eligibility criteria. According to media reports, the middle-aged daughter had sought help from the local borough warden. Although the warden did step in, many services were unavailable without out-of-pocket payments due to issues with eligibility, leaving the warden’s hands
RSS