Promoting A Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 138, the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 138, the Senate companion bill to the bipartisan House bill, H.R. 533, which the House passed this February.

My good friend from Massachusetts, Representative McGovern, and Chairman McCaul introduced H.R. 533, and I was proud to support its passage out of committee and on the floor last year. I am glad the Senate has followed suit so we can get to this important legislation that addresses Beijing's severe and ongoing repression of the Tibetan people signed into law.

For too long, Beijing has oppressed the Tibetan people and failed to honor its commitments to engage in meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama and his representatives regarding Tibet's future. We are deeply concerned by Beijing's systematic efforts to erase the distinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity of the Tibetan people.

In a new effort to stamp out Tibetan identity, Beijing is closing local schools and uprooting children from their families by placing them in centralized Chinese boarding schools far from home. This is effectively preventing Tibetan parents and communities from passing down their language and heritage to the next generation.

This forced assimilation has raised significant concerns from multiple U.N. Special Rapporteurs who have warned that these residential schools function as a large-scale program designed to integrate Tibetans into the dominant Han culture, violating international human rights.

While Beijing employs these tactics to suppress Tibetan culture, it simultaneously propagates disinformation about Tibet and its history.

H.R. 533 calls out Beijing's oppressive tactics and relentless disinformation campaign. This bill reinforces our unwavering support for the Tibetan cause and calls on the PRC to engage in genuine dialogue with Tibetan representatives. It also strengthens the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 by enhancing our public diplomacy efforts to counter PRC disinformation about Tibet.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.

533.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman for his remarks. There has been no more determined or erstwhile supporter of the Tibetan people than Representative McGovern. I thank him for his longstanding efforts on their behalf which is really our behalf, as well, as a country.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, for too long, the Tibetan people have suffered as Beijing systematically works to erase their religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity. The forced assimilation through centralized Chinese boarding schools and tearing children away from their families are beyond the pale, and its refusal to engage in meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama since 2010 only highlights Beijing's blatant disregard for resolving the Tibetan question.

This is an important and timely measure, and I thank Senator Merkley, Representative McGovern, Chairman McCaul, and all those individuals involved in getting this bill to the finish line. I also want to extend my gratitude to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for her unwavering support of this bill and principled conviction to hold the PRC accountable for its human rights violations.

Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join with all of us in supporting this important bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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