BY KATY DAIGLE AND ASHWINI BHATIA
Democratic leader in the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi greets Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama at the Tsuglagkhang temple in Dharmsala, India, Wednesday, May 10, 2017. A group from US Congress is taking aim at one of China’s sore spots, Tibet, during a meeting in India with the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader. Pelosi said Wednesday that China was using “brutal tactics” and economic leverage to crush Tibetan calls for autonomy.
DHARMSALA, INDIA -- As Donald Trump appears to be warming to China, a bipartisan group from the U.S. House of Representatives took aim Wednesday at one of Beijing's sore spots: Tibet.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi accused China of using economic leverage to crush Tibetan calls for autonomy. During a meeting with Tibetans and the Dalai Lama at his main temple in the Indian hill town of Dharmsala, she urged the community not to give up.
"You will not be silenced," said Pelosi, a California Democrat.
"The brutal tactics of the Chinese government to erase race, culture and language of Tibetan people challenges the conscience of the world. We will meet that challenge."
The visit by Pelosi and seven other U.S. representatives irritated Beijing, where a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry reiterated China's stance that the Dalai Lama is a dangerous separatist.
China says the Himalayan region has been part of the country for more than seven centuries.
The visit by Pelosi and seven other U.S. representatives irritated Beijing, where a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry reiterated China's stance that the Dalai Lama is a dangerous separatist.
China says the Himalayan region has been part of the country for more than seven centuries.
Tibetans insist they were essentially independent for most of that time.
At least 148 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2009 to protest China's rule.
In many cases, China has offered aid packages to foreign governments on the condition that they support China's position on issues such as Tibet and Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing has pledged to take control of, by force if necessary.
In many cases, China has offered aid packages to foreign governments on the condition that they support China's position on issues such as Tibet and Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing has pledged to take control of, by force if necessary.
Mongolia said in December that it would no longer allow visits by the Dalai Lama after a recent trip by the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader led China to suspend talks on a major loan.
"China uses its economic leverage to silence the voices of friends of Tibet," Pelosi said Wednesday.
"China uses its economic leverage to silence the voices of friends of Tibet," Pelosi said Wednesday.
"But if we don't speak out against repression in Tibet and the rest of China because of China's economic power, we lose all moral authority to talk about human rights anywhere else in the world."
Pelosi told the gathering that she would limit her comments on China's "brutal tactics" because the Dalai Lama had "prayed for me that I would rid myself of my negative attitude about dwelling on the negative too much."
The Dalai Lama, meanwhile, said Tibetans do not need weapons in their struggle for autonomy, and again prescribed a path of nonviolence and compassion.
Pelosi told the gathering that she would limit her comments on China's "brutal tactics" because the Dalai Lama had "prayed for me that I would rid myself of my negative attitude about dwelling on the negative too much."
The Dalai Lama, meanwhile, said Tibetans do not need weapons in their struggle for autonomy, and again prescribed a path of nonviolence and compassion.
While he has devolved political power to an elected government, the Dalai Lama is still widely revered by Tibetans as their most influential leader.
Tibetans who remain in the closely guarded region "are living in fear and anxiety. Their life is at risk, but they are still preserving our traditions," said the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet to India in 1959 during an abortive uprising.
Tibetans who remain in the closely guarded region "are living in fear and anxiety. Their life is at risk, but they are still preserving our traditions," said the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet to India in 1959 during an abortive uprising.
"We all are dedicated to the Tibetan cause, but should not think of harming the Chinese people as such. We need to befriend them" and work through compassion to resolve the Tibetan issue, he said.
The timing of the U.S. congressional visit may irk Trump, who just weeks ago boasted of enjoying cozy conversations and chocolate cake with Xi Jinping at Trump's Florida resort.
The timing of the U.S. congressional visit may irk Trump, who just weeks ago boasted of enjoying cozy conversations and chocolate cake with Xi Jinping at Trump's Florida resort.
During Xi's official visit last month, Beijing also approved a raft of patent applications for Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter.
Trump's rhetoric on China has warmed considerably since the U.S. presidential campaign, when he repeatedly called the Asian giant a currency manipulator and an economic adversary of the United States.
Trump's rhetoric on China has warmed considerably since the U.S. presidential campaign, when he repeatedly called the Asian giant a currency manipulator and an economic adversary of the United States.
On Tuesday, Pelosi and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, a Republican from Wisconsin, posed for photos holding up a Tibetan soccer jersey.
And earlier in the week, the group visited Nepal, where the government has been criticized for not allowing Tibetans to protest in front of the Chinese Embassy.
Pelosi said the delegation, in talks with Nepalese officials, had raised the issue of "the wellbeing of the thousands of Tibetans who have been living in Nepal for decades as well as the rights of other minorities," according to a statement.
Democratic leader in the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi waves to a crowd as she stands next to the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama at the Tsuglagkhang temple in Dharmsala, India, Wednesday, May 10, 2017. A group from US Congress is taking aim at one of China’s sore spots, Tibet, during a meeting in India with the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader. Pelosi said Wednesday that China was using “brutal tactics” and economic leverage to crush Tibetan calls for autonomy.
Pelosi said the delegation, in talks with Nepalese officials, had raised the issue of "the wellbeing of the thousands of Tibetans who have been living in Nepal for decades as well as the rights of other minorities," according to a statement.
Democratic leader in the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi waves to a crowd as she stands next to the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama at the Tsuglagkhang temple in Dharmsala, India, Wednesday, May 10, 2017. A group from US Congress is taking aim at one of China’s sore spots, Tibet, during a meeting in India with the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader. Pelosi said Wednesday that China was using “brutal tactics” and economic leverage to crush Tibetan calls for autonomy.
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