What This Bill Does
This law updates the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 by adding new goals about encouraging dialogue between China and Tibetan leaders. The bill states that the U.S. government should work to counter false claims about Tibet's history and support the Tibetan people's distinct culture and identity.
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Who It Affects
- The U.S. State Department and its Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues
- The United States Agency for International Development
- The government of China and the Chinese Communist Party
- The Tibetan people and their representatives
- The Dalai Lama and his representatives
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Key Provisions
- The U.S. government's Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues must work with State Department bureaus to counter false information about Tibet's history, the Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions (Sec. 5(b))
- Money previously approved for other Tibet efforts can now be used to counter false claims about Tibet made by China's government and Communist Party (Sec. 6)
- The law defines which geographic areas count as "Tibet" for purposes of this law, including the Tibet Autonomous Region and specific Tibetan autonomous prefectures and counties in Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces (Sec. 5(c))
- The U.S. policy includes promoting dialogue without preconditions between China and the Dalai Lama or democratically elected Tibetan leaders, and working with other countries toward a negotiated agreement on Tibet (Sec. 3)
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What Changes
The Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues gains a new job duty to coordinate with the State Department and international development agencies to correct false information about Tibet. Existing money for Tibet programs can now be redirected to counter disinformation campaigns.
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Important Definitions
The bill defines "Tibet" to mean the Tibet Autonomous Region and nine specific Tibetan autonomous areas (prefectures and counties) located in four Chinese provinces as of 2018.
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Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
138 STAT. 1487
PUBLIC LAW 118–70—JULY 12, 2024
Public Law 118–70
118th Congress
An Act
To amend the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 to modify certain provisions of that
Act.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Promoting a Resolution to the
Tibet-China Dispute Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) It has been the long-standing policy of the United
States to encourage meaningful and direct dialogue between
representatives of the People’s Republic of China and the Dalai
Lama, his or her representatives, or democratically elected
leaders of the Tibetan community, without preconditions, to
seek a settlement that resolves differences.
(2) Nine rounds of dialogue held between 2002 and 2010
between the People’s Republic of China authorities and the
14th Dalai Lama’s representatives failed to produce a settle-
ment that resolved differences, and the two sides have held
no formal dialogue since January 2010.
(3) An obstacle to further dialogue is that the Government
of the People’s Republic of China continues to impose conditions
on substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama, including a
demand that he say that Tibet has been part of China since
ancient times, which the Dalai Lama has refused to do because
it is inaccurate.
(4) Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights and Article 1 of the International Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights provide, ‘‘All peoples
have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right
they freely determine their political status and freely pursue
their economic, social and cultural development.’’.
(5) The United States Government has never taken the
position that Tibet was a part of China since ancient times.
(6) China signed the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights on October 5, 1998, and ratified the Inter-
national Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
on March 27, 2001.
(7) Under international law, including United Nations Gen-
eral Assembly Resolution 2625, the right to self-determination
is the right of a people to determine its own destiny and
the exercise of this right can result in a variety of outcomes
22 USC 6901
note.
Promoting a
Resolution to
the Tibet-China
Dispute Act.
July 12, 2024
[S. 138]
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138 STAT. 1488
PUBLIC LAW 118–70—JULY 12, 2024
ranging from independence, federation, protection, some form
of autonomy, or full integration within a State.
(8) United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1723,
adopted on December 20, 1961, called for the ‘‘cessation of
practices which deprive the Tibetan people of their fundamental
human rights and freedoms, including their right to self-deter-
mination’’.
(9) Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a May 26, 2022,
speech entitled ‘‘The Administration’s Approach to the People’s
Republic of China’’, said that the rules-based international
order’s ‘‘founding documents include the UN Charter and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrined con-
cepts like self-determination, sovereignty, the peaceful settle-
ment of disputes. These are not Western constructs. They are
reflections of the world’s shared aspirations.’’.
(10) The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note),
as amended by the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020
(subtitle E of title III of division FF of Public Law 116–260),
in directing the United States Government ‘‘to promote the
human rights and distinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and
historical identity of the Tibetan people’’ acknowledges that
the Tibetan people possess a distinct religious, cultural, lin-
guistic, and historical identity.
(11) Department of State reports on human rights and
religious freedom have consistently documented systematic
repression by the authorities of the People’s Republic of China
against Tibetans as well as acts of defiance and resistance
by Tibetan people against the People’s Republic of China poli-
cies.
(12) The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note)
specifies that the central objective of the United States Special
Coordinator for Tibetan Issues is to promote substantive dia-
logue between the Government of the People’s Republic of China
and the Dalai Lama, his or her representatives, or democrat-
ically elected leaders of the Tibetan community.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States—
(1) that the Tibetan people are a people with a distinct
religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity;
(2) that the dispute between Tibet and the People’s
Republic of China must be resolved in accordance with inter-
national law, including the United Nations Charter, by peaceful
means, through dialogue without preconditions;
(3) that the People’s Republic of China should cease its
propagation of disinformation about the history of Tibet, the
Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions, including that of the
Dalai Lama;
(4) to encourage the People’s Republic of China to ratify
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and
uphold all its commitments under the International Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; and
(5) in accordance with the Tibetan Policy and Support
Act of 2020—
(A) to promote substantive dialogue without pre-condi-
tions, between the Government of the People’s Republic
of China and the Dalai Lama, his or her representatives,
22 USC 6901
note.
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138 STAT. 1489
PUBLIC LAW 118–70—JULY 12, 2024
or democratically elected leaders of the Tibetan community,
or explore activities to improve prospects for dialogue, that
leads to a negotiated agreement on Tibet;
(B) to coordinate with other governments in multilat-
eral efforts towards the goal of a negotiated agreement
on Tibet; and
(C) to encourage the Government of the People’s
Republic of China to address the aspirations of the Tibetan
people with regard to their distinct historical, cultural,
religious, and linguistic identity.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) claims made by officials of the People’s Republic of
China and the Chinese Communist Party that Tibet has been
a part of China since ancient times are historically inaccurate;
(2) the current policies of the People’s Republic of China
are systematically suppressing the ability of the Tibetan people
to preserve their religion, culture, language, history, way of
life, and environment;
(3) the Government of the People’s Republic of China is
failing to meet the expectations of the United States to engage
in meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representa-
tives or to reach a negotiated resolution that includes the
aspirations of the Tibetan people; and
(4) United States public diplomacy efforts should counter
disinformation about Tibet from the Government of the People’s
Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, including
disinformation about the history of Tibet, the Tibetan people,
and Tibetan institutions, including that of the Dalai Lama.
SEC. 5. MODIFICATIONS TO THE TIBETAN POLICY ACT OF 2002.
(a) TIBET NEGOTIATIONS.—Section 613(b) of the Tibetan Policy
Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting
a semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
‘‘(4) efforts to counter disinformation about Tibet from the
Government of the People’s Republic of China and the Chinese
Communist Party, including disinformation about the history
of Tibet, the Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions, including
that of the Dalai Lama.’’.
(b) UNITED
STATES
SPECIAL
COORDINATOR
FOR
TIBETAN
ISSUES.—Section 621(d) of the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C.
6901 note) is amended—
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), and (8) as para-
graphs (7), (8), and (9), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following new para-
graph:
‘‘(6) work with relevant bureaus of the Department of State
and the United States Agency for International Development
to ensure that United States Government statements and docu-
ments counter, as appropriate, disinformation about Tibet from
the Government of the People’s Republic of China and the
Chinese Communist Party, including disinformation about the
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138 STAT. 1490
PUBLIC LAW 118–70—JULY 12, 2024
history of Tibet, the Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions,
including that of the Dalai Lama;’’.
(c) DEFINITION.—The Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C.
6901 note) is amended by adding at the end the following new
section:
‘‘SEC. 622. DEFINITION.
‘‘For purposes of this Act, the term ‘Tibet’ refers to the following
areas:
‘‘(1) The Tibet Autonomous Region.
‘‘(2) The areas that the Government of the People’s Republic
of China designated as Tibetan Autonomous, as of 2018, as
follows:
‘‘(A) Kanlho (Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture,
and Pari (Tianzhu) Tibetan Autonomous County located
in Gansu Province.
‘‘(B) Golog (Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture,
Malho
(Huangnan)
Tibetan
Autonomous
Prefecture,
Tsojang (Haibei) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Tsolho
(Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Tsonub (Haixi)
Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and
Yulshul (Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, located
in Qinghai Province.
‘‘(C) Garze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture,
Ngawa (Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture,
and Muli (Mili) Tibetan Autonomous County, located in
Sichuan Province.
‘‘(D) Dechen (Diqing) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture,
located in Yunnan Province.’’.
SEC. 6. AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS TO COUNTER DISINFORMATION
ABOUT TIBET.
Amounts authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made
available under section 346 of the Tibetan Policy and Support
Act of 2020 (subtitle E of title III of division FF of Public Law
116–260) are authorized to be made available to counter
disinformation about Tibet from the Government of the People’s
Republic of China and the Chinese Communist Party, including
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138 STAT. 1491
PUBLIC LAW 118–70—JULY 12, 2024
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 138 (H.R. 533):
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 170 (2024):
May 23, considered and passed Senate.
June 11, 12, considered and passed House.
DAILY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS (2024):
July 12, Presidential statement.
Æ
disinformation about the history of Tibet, the Tibetan people, and
Tibetan institutions, including that of the Dalai Lama.
Approved July 12, 2024.
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