07/15/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/15/2024 09:36
Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley today announced his bipartisan bill-the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act-has been signed into law. Merkey's bill, which he co-authored with Indiana's U.S. Senator Todd Young, supports Tibetan self-determination and promotes dialogue between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Dalai Lama toward a peaceful resolution of the long-standing dispute between Tibet and China.
"The people of Tibet have an inalienable right to self-determination. As the Chinese government continues to ignore the rights of Tibet under international law, my bill sends a powerful, bipartisan message: we must protect basic human rights," saidMerkley, co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. "Now that this bill has been signed into law, the United States has made it unmistakably clear that we stand with Tibet. I look forward to the Biden Administration's prompt implementation."
The Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act states that it is U.S. policy that the dispute between Tibet and China remains unresolved in accordance with international law. The legislation also:
The Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act passed the Senate unanimously and passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 391-26. The bill was cosponsored by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-MD) and U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mike Braun (R-IN), Christopher Coons (D-DE), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Bob Casey (D-PA). The House version of the bill was led by U.S. Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA-02)-Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China-and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX-10).
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