The United States announced on Tuesday that it is restricting visas to Chinese authorities over Tibet.
Washington, United States:
The United States said on Tuesday that it is restricting visas to Chinese authorities on Tibet, renewing a call for “true autonomy” in the predominantly Buddhist region.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he is taking action against an unknown number of public servants under a new US law that urges China to let the Americans visit Tibet.
“Unfortunately, Beijing has continued to systematically hinder the movement of US diplomats and other officials, journalists and tourists to the Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan regions, while officials from the PRC and other citizens enjoy ‘much wider access to the United States,’ said Pompeo in a statement. declaration.
He said he limited visas to Chinese officials determined to be “substantially involved” in the exclusion of foreigners from Tibetan areas.
He did not name the officials, and the State Department did not immediately comment on how many would be affected.
The United States is increasingly imposing such visa sanctions, particularly following China’s recent crackdown on rights in Hong Kong and its ongoing incarceration of one million Uyghurs and other Turkish Muslims.
The action in Tibet comes after a 2018 law passed by Congress that aims to pressure China for its strict restrictions in the region.
Beijing has largely prohibited foreign journalists from traveling to Tibet since 2008, when the region saw a wave of self-immolations as protests against the conditions, and did not respond to US requests to establish a consulate in Lhasa.
However, the law notes that Chinese nationals are not subject to any restrictions on visiting the United States.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
