For decades the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government have been embroiled in a dispute over the future of Tibet. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, recently found himself at the center of a bill intended to bring the two sides together.

Merkley co-sponsored a bipartisan bill aimed at promoting a resolution to the Tibet-China dispute. The bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden on July 12.

Merkley’s office told The Bulletin that the senator has been a “champion to enhance U.S. support for Tibet and promote dialogue between the People’s Republic of China and the Dalai Lama toward a peaceful resolution of the long-standing dispute.”

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, escaped to India in 1959 after a failed attempt to overthrow Chinese rule in Tibet, a mountainous region in southwest China that is home to a distinct culture. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his attempts at a peaceful resolution with China and said he is not seeking independence. But Chinese leaders have long described the Dalai Lama as a separatist and warns foreign leaders not to engage with him.

Merkley said his personal interest in helping to resolve the conflict comes from conversations with Tibetan constituents in Oregon and from his experience as co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.

The commission “has held hearings that have highlighted massive atrocities against Tibetan human rights by China, including forcing young children to attend boarding schools designed to extinguish children’s connections to their families and their Tibetan culture,” Merkley said.

Tibetan self-determination

The act — co-authored by Merkley with U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Indiana — supports Tibetan self-determination and seeks to promote dialogue between Beijing and the Dalai Lama for a peaceful resolution over their differences.

“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,” Merkley said in a statement.

Merkley said the law shows that the United States “stands with Tibet” and he looks forward to the Biden administration implementing its goals.

The law empowers the U.S. Special Coordinator for Tibet — a Washington D.C.-based position within the State Department — to actively counter disinformation about Tibet from the Chinese government and its Communist Party. It also rejects as inaccurate China’s claims that Tibet has been part of China since “ancient times.”

The law also seeks to nudge Beijing and the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan leaders to the negotiating table “without preconditions.” The two sides haven’t held talks since 2010.

The Tibetan cause was last put in the spotlight in June when a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, met with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, the Indian hilltop town where he lives in exile.

Chinese opposition

While the law was designed to ease tensions between the Dalai Lama and Beijing, there has been no indication that it will bring the two sides together.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, told The Bulletin in an emailed comment that the bill was a “violation” of U.S. commitments to China and a “gross interference” in China’s domestic affairs.

“China firmly opposes it and has protested to the US side,” Pengyu said. “Xizang (Tibet) affairs are China’s internal affairs which brook no interference by any external forces.”

Pengyu said the Dalai Lama is attempting to violate China’s constitution and split the nation, making negotiations impossible.

On the issue of China’s claim, Pengyu said Tibet was “formally incorporated” during the Yuan Dynasty. During this epoch, which lasted from 1271 to 1368, China was part of the Mongol Empire and ruled by descendants of Ghengis Khan.

On Wednesday, Beijing imposed sanctions on one of the bill’s House sponsors, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., according to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry.

McGovern responded on social media platform X, calling the sanctions a “badge of honor.”

“If (China’s) leaders don’t like it when people speak out against their horrific human rights record, maybe they should improve their horrific human rights record. They can start by ending their oppression of Tibetans, ending their genocide in Xinjiang, and ending their crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong,” McGovern said.

Next steps

Merkley said next steps are now in the hands of the State Department to counter disinformation about Tibet and to coordinate with other governments to work toward a negotiated resolution to the Tibet-China dispute.

“The Senator and his office will continue to engage with the (Biden) Administration on implementation,” said Molly Prescott, a spokesperson for Merkley.

The U.S. State Department said human rights abuses in Tibet are credible, including extrajudicial killings by the government, disappearances and torture of imprisoned Tibetans. China has called the allegations baseless.

Merkley said the dispute deserves attention from Oregonians because of the “critical need to speak out for human rights.”

“Every one of us affects the world every day. Our challenge is to choose a path that makes the world better, not worse,” Merkley said in a statement. “We must strive to choose love over hate. Choose compassion over conflict. Choose engagement over cynicism. Choose partnership over discrimination.”

“Fighting for human rights is always the right thing to do. And creating open dialogue to resolve disputes has long been the Oregon Way,” he said.