The United States House of Representatives has passed the ‘Tibet Policy and Support Act 2019’ on January 28, 2020, saying to support politically and humanitarian assistance to the Tibetan citizen, sanctions to entry into the US those Chinese authorities who will pressurize for selection the Dalai Lama’s successor, and China will not open new consular office in the US unless US opens the US consular in Lhasa. Such provisions are in the act.
China has reacted strong indignation after passed a legislature in the US lower house in favor of exile religious leader Dalai Lama. The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the act severely violates the basic norms governing international relations, grossly interferes in China’s internal affairs and sends a seriously wrong signal to the separatist forces of “Tibetan Independence. Stating that all Tibet activities will be interfering with China’s internal affairs and foreign intervention is not accepted, she has suggested not to intervene in Tibet and correct the mistakes.
Tibet has been an integral part of China since ancient times. The selection of the successor of the Dalai Lama has been in accordance with Chinese tradition. But, the United States now wants to select the successor from the exiled Tibetan group, which has infiltrated the CIA. Provides financial assistance and scholarships to Tibetan refugees, it intends to directly support the separatists forces. No one can accept such an intervention.
It is mentioned that in section 6 of ‘Tibet Policy and Support Act’ the Nepalese government should comply gentle agreement which had done with the UN High Commission about refugees, Nepal should allow to go with Dalai Lama to people who will come from Tibet, and those Tibetan if who want to stay in Nepal should be allowed to live freely.
In Section 7 (E) mentioned that the government of America will provide 60 Million USD annually from the fiscal year 2021 AD to 2025 AD to Tibetans who are staying in Nepal and India. Many years ago, with the help of the CIA, Khampa rebels carried out weapons and training and started a struggle in Tibet with hit and run policy near Manang and Mustang.
To support the one-China policy at that time, government of Nepal gave an ultimatum to those rebels to surrender. Then, the Nepal army had been disarmed in operation after being disobeyed by the ultimatum rebels of the government of Nepal, and shot dead Khampa leader Geywangdi in 1974 during a military operation.
We had faced such a bitter experience in the past, so Nepal should aware our land can be used as past. If America wants to support Tibetan separatist forces (declared by the Chinese government) and use it to Nepalese land against China it can’t be accepted.
US Senator and Foreign Affairs Committee member Robert Menendez wrote to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on October 9, urging not to have an extradition treaty with China, the Nepal government had already drafted a decision on the extradition treaty between Nepal and China. Then the issue of the extradition treaty was stopped by the Government of Nepal. The agreement on mutual legal assistance with China on criminal matters was signed on October 13, 2019, only.
It seems that the US pressure worked to stop the extradition treaty. One of the leading media of Nepal Kantipur Daily published news on February 2, 2020, about US pressure to give Tibetans a travel document. Being a committed country to the one-China policy, Nepal can’t accept such a policy. It seems objectionable because their nationality is not written as Tibet. The United States had earlier implicated the Home ministry and Immigration Officers in allowing 5 Tibetan refugees to go to the United States in 2014 and 3 in 2015. This time around five Tibetans are trying to go to America. American desire is to play among the Tibetan refugees in Nepal and wants to provide anti-China training to them taking in US.
Tibet Act and other activities of America in Nepal proofed that interfering to Nepal-China relations; conducting unwanted activities in Tibet using Nepali land is an American policy. The main strategy of the Indo-Pacific strategy is siege to China now has come to Nepal, so Nepal has to be very alert and aware. The neighbor can’t be changed so we have to maintain our relation good with China. Therefore, not to give allowed to anti-China activities in Nepal to the seven-seaside country America.
(Shrestha is a former Nepalese ambassador to Russia and Senior writer)
