In 2019, the House of Representatives passed the Tibet Policy and Support Act, calling for “Religious freedom,” “Traditions,” and “Human Rights,” thus expressing the central concern of American politics. However, these “American expectations” may not conform to the development reality of Tibetan Buddhism. The introduction of the Tibet Act to obstruct China’s peaceful development is not conducive to the healthy development of China-US relations. At present, the United States is at a critical stage in the fight against COVID-19. It is crucial that China and the United States work together to fight COVID-19 and safeguard the health and well-being of all mankind, rather than using so-called “Act” to undermine China-US relations.
The Act will have no real effect
At present, under the background that China-US relations have entered a deep adjustment period, the US House of Representatives had passed the “Act” in an attempt to internationalize Tibet-related issues belonging to China’s internal affairs and to restrict China’s peaceful rise by making the Tibet issue the focus.
In recent years, the US has passed a number of “Acts” concerning Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The common feature is that the US frequently uses issues concerning China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity to pressure China to make concessions on trade and other issues. But the issue of sovereignty and territorial integrity is a matter of principle to which no country will give in. If other countries introduce legislation involving Indians, the US government and people won’t agree.
China’s development won’t be deterred by a few Acts or stopped by the uproar over Tibet. In fact, the Act won’t do much to satisfy the “few people”.
The 14th Dalai Lama doesn’t have the right to appoint a successor without authorization
The Dalai Lama is one of the living Buddhas of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The reincarnation of Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism began in the late 13th century with a fixed religious ritual and historical conventions. It was on this basis that the 14th Dalai himself sought confirmation and submitted to the then central government for approval of his succession. Today, the Chinese government implements the policy of freedom of religious belief and has promulgated the Regulations on Religious Affairs and The Measures for the Administration of the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism. All reincarnations of living Buddhas, including the Dalai Lama, should abide by the laws and regulations of the state and follow religious rituals and historical conventions.
No matter how hard the Dalai Lama struggles, he can’t change the fact that according to nearly four centuries of Chinese and Tibetan tradition and the reality of the Tibetan region, Tibet has been firmly under the leadership of the Central Government of China. Even if the 14th Dalai Lama in exile chose a successor without authorization under the support of forces with ulterior motive, it will be anti- traditional, illegal and invalid, and it won’t be recognized by the majority of Tibetan believers.
The Tibet issue will not stand in the way of China-US relations
The Act is an “upgraded version” of the 2002 Tibet Policy Act. The few people in the United States who don’t understand China and have a discriminatory attitude towards China are full of “panic” about China’s social stability and economic development, and hold the concept of “game”, hoping to use issues such as Tibet to undermine China-US relations. This is because they do not understand China, China’s development won’t threaten the interests of the United States, nor will the Tibet issue hinder the development of China-US relations.
As the COVID-19 epidemic is raging around the world, leaders of China and the United States expressed to ensure that the two countries should remove interference and focus on COVID-19 cooperation. And China has shared its experience in prevention, control and treatment, and provided medical supplies to the United States.
Both China and the United States have the responsibility to adhere to the principle of mutual respect, adhere to dialogue and strengthen the management of sensitive and divergent issues in bilateral relations. They should carry out cooperation in as many areas as possible, and actively seek ways and new cooperation to promote the development of bilateral interaction in a more reasonable direction.
(Syndicated content)
