Published by: World Tibet Network News, Thursday, Jun 06, 1996

Submitted by Bhuchung K. Tsering, ICT

Date: Thu, 6 Jun 1996 18:09:48 -0400

The President of International Campaign for Tibet, Lodi G. Gyari, urged the United States to use its good offices in bringing the Chinese Government to the negotiating table to solve the Tibetan problem. Addressing two important committees of the Senate; Finance and Foreign Relations Committee, separately on June 6, 1996, Mr. Gyari reiterated that His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan people were always ready to resolve the Tibetan issue.

Mr. Gyari also briefed the Senate on recent crackdown in Tibet leading to the closure of monasteries and the beating of monks. He told the Senate that the situation today was very much reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution era.

Written Testimony of Lodi G. Gyari

President, International Campaign for Tibet

before the Senate Finance Committee (as well as before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to which he gave a similar address) on renewal of MFN status for China.

Thursday, June 6, 1996

Thank you, Chairman Roth, Senator Moynihan and other distinguished Members of this Committee for providing me an opportunity to testify before you on the situation in Tibet and on Most Favored Nation (MFN) trading status for China.

My name is Lodi Gyari and I was born in Nyarong in the Tibetan province of Kham. I am President of the International Campaign for Tibet, a Washington-based, non-governmental organization dedicated to the promotion of human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet. I am also Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and have served in both the Tibetan Parliament and Cabinet in Exile in Dharamsala, India.

I would like to once again express my deep appreciation to the U.S. Congress for its tremendous leadership on the issue of Tibet. The numerous resolutions passed by you and your colleagues condemning human rights violations in Tibet and providing financial and other assistance to Tibetan refugees have given significant encouragement to the Tibetan people. It is fair to say that the Tibetan people owe a great debt of gratitude to the U.S. Congress for supporting their ongoing struggle for basic rights and for recognizing that the plight of the six million Tibetans is an important American interest.

Mr. Chairman, given that this Committee will be considering the President's request for a MFN waiver for China, I regretfully must report to you that there have been no positive developments in China's repressive policies towards Tibet over the past year and that the human rights situation in Tibet has in fact deteriorated.

Recent Crackdown

The most severe wave of repression since martial law was imposed in 1989 is now occurring in Lhasa, Tibet's capital, as a result of a drive by Chinese authorities to remove all photographs of the Dalai Lama from monasteries, schools, businesses and private homes. This campaign against His Holiness began in April of this year when an announcement was made that monasteries and temples would be banned from displaying photos of the Dalai Lama. Pictures of the Dalai Lama had been allowed since 1979 as part of a Chinese decision to allow religious freedom in Tibet.

According to news reports and human rights organizations, over 80 Tibetans, including monks and nuns were injured, some seriously after presumably resisting the imposition of the photo ban. In another incident earlier last month at Ganden Monastery, located near Lhasa, at least three monks were shot and wounded and another monk was severely beaten by police sent to enforce the ban. The number of monks arrested during this incident in said to vary from 7 to 70. There are reportedly only a few monks left at the monastery and Chinese officials have announced that they plan to keep it sealed for at least 2 to 3 months.

Chinese officials have also begun sweeps of hotels, restaurants and shops in Lhasa, ordering that photos of the Dalai Lama be taken down. Reports indicate that house to house searches have also occurred in some parts of Lhasato make certain that pictures of the Dalai Lama were no longer on display. This crackdown is part of an ongoing campaign by the Chinese government to restrict religious expression in Tibet and to discredit the Dalai Lama, not only as the political leader but also as the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people.

Panchen Lama

Just last week, the Chinese government admitted for the first time that they are holding Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 7 year old boy named by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama, the second highest ranking religious figure. The young boy, believed to be the "world's youngest political prisoner", and his family have been held in a secret location in China for over a year. In total disregard of the Tibetan people's traditions and beliefs, the Chinese Government announced in November 1995 that they had found the "real" Panchen Lama and have since attempted to impose their selection on the Tibetan people.

Restrictions on Religious Practice

In addition to China's abduction of the Panchen Lama, there has been a heightened campaign by the Chinese Government to repress the spread and practice of Buddhism in Tibet. Authorities have set a limit on the number of monks and nuns in all monasteries and have halted the unauthorized rebuilding of monasteries destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Beijing has also vowed to close problematic monasteries and jail "separatist" monks and nuns. New restrictions have also been imposed on youths joining monasteries and government officials have been prohibited from practicing religion.

Political Prisoners

There are close to 700 documented political prisoners in Tibet today. This does not account for the hundreds, maybe thousands, of prisoners whose names have not been determined. These political prisoners include hundreds of monks and nuns who have been detained solely for expressing their religious and political beliefs. One political prisoner, Ngawang Choephel, was arrested last year while making a documentary video about traditional Tibetan music. Ngawang did not live in Tibet and was visiting from India in order to conduct his study. In 1992-93, he studied at Middlebury College in Vermont as a Fulbright scholar.

Population Transfer

The greatest concern of the Tibetan people continues to be the tremendous influx of Chinese settlers into Tibet. Many of the settlers come to Tibet as a result of economic and other incentives provided to them by the Chinese Government. In addition, the prospect of economic opportunity is luring Chinese entrepreneurs to Tibet's towns and cities. As a result of this influx, the number and influence of Chinese in Tibet is marginalizing the Tibetan people politically, economically and culturally.

Negotiations

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has stated that the only way to bring about a peaceful resolution to the situation in Tibet is through a mutually-acceptable negotiated settlement between the Chinese and Tibetan people. To this end, he has issued several forward looking proposals, including the Five Point Peace Plan and the Strasbourg Proposal, in which he has agreed not to raise the issue of independence during negotiations. However, the Chinese Government has refused to respond positively to his proposals and continues to disregard the Tibetan people's fundamental rights.

At this time, I would like to submit for the record the testimony of His Holiness who recently appeared before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Danish Parliament to express his views about the current situation in Tibet and about the process of change which is occurring in China.

Clinton Administration Policy on MFN for China

Mr. Chairman, when President Clinton decided in May 1994 to abandon his policy of linking human rights conditions to renewal of China's MFN status, he threw away a powerful tool in the United States' arsenal to press for significant improvements in human rights in China and Tibet. We at the International Campaign for Tibet were greatly disappointed by the President's decision to back down from a policy which could have produced results, had he stuck with it. If any one country has the ability to influence China's policies towards Tibet, it is the United States.

Prior to the President's decision two years ago to delink human rights and trade, we had been informed that a very high level Chinese delegation made a low profile visit to Washington, headed by a former Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. During their visit, this delegation expressed its concern about the condition in the President's Executive Order of 1993 which called for the Chinese to "preserve Tibet's distinct religious and cultural heritage" in order to continue to receive MFN from the US. The delegation reportedly sought suggestions on how they could meet the minimum requirement of this condition regarding Tibet in order to not jeopardize their MFN status. This episode demonstrates that until the President blinked and it became clear that he would continue to provide MFN status to China whether or not they met the conditions in his Executive Order, the Chinese were prepared to make the necessary improvements in Tibet. Perhaps the situation in Tibet would not be as bleak as it is today if the President had

stuck to his policy. This lost opportunity has had dire consequences in Tibet where over the past two year the Chinese have felt more emboldened that ever to repress the Tibetan people.

It is imperative that we not forget that today it is China who is benefiting from its trade relationship with the U.S. and that they would still go to great lengths to ensure the continuation of their MFN status. As Members of this Committee know, the Chinese enjoy a $33 billion trade surplus with the U.S. While we have never advocated revocation of MFN for China, we do believe that trade leverage can be used as an effective instrument for bringing about human rights progress in China and Tibet. Therefore, we have in the past supported the efforts of Congress to use the annual renewal of China's MFN status to attach conditions on this renewal, such as calling for the preservation of Tibet's unique culture and religion and supporting negotiations between the Tibetan Government in Exile and the Chinese government on the status of Tibet.

In terms of this year, we favor using renewal of China's MFN status and other means of leverage, such as China's entry into the World Trade Organization, to press for significant improvements in human rights conditions in China and Tibet. Given the fact that the MFN issue has not been handled well by the Administration, we look to the Congress to put forward a trade policy with China that will achieve results. The U.S. has enormous economic leverage with China by which to promote one its most fundamental interests -- namely the observance of human rights and the spread of democratic freedoms -- and we strongly believe that the U.S. should use this leverage.

In addition, without the rule of law, China cannot be counted on as a stable trading partner for the U.S. and therefore it is in the U.S. economic interest to encourage democratic growth in China. I have always urged the leadership of corporate America to, rather than lobby on behalf of the Chinese Government, work with us, with the Congress and with the Administration so that together we can bring about fundamental change in China. Our vision of China is one that is governed by the rule of law and which will not only guarantee human rights for the Tibetan people but also the protection of American business interests. And it is my belief that a China that is governed by a rule of law -- with copyrights and human rights respected -- is in everyone's interest.

The Chinese Government understands what the Clinton Administration has failed to appreciate -- that trade can be used to promote a country's interest. For example, during this year's session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, the Chinese not only succeeded in blocking consideration of a mildly-worded resolution on human rights conditions in China but they also put pressure on African and Asian delegations to vote in their favor, by using access to its market as bait. So while the Administration has failed to use trade as means to advocate human rights, the Chinese have demonstrated that you can link economic and human rights considerations for sinister purposes.

In 1994, after the President reversed his China MFN policy, we were given assurances that the Administration remained committed to helping the Tibetan people and to supporting negotiations between the Dalai Lama and Chinese leaders. However, since that time, the Administration has yet to develop and maintain a policy that will pressure the Chinese to respect the rights of Tibetans. In fact, when President Clinton announced his intention to grant unconditional renewal of MFN for China on May 20th of this year, he failed to even mention Tibet or his concerns over a recent crackdown there in his speech. He also gave no indication of how their policy of "comprehensive engagement" with China, which includes granting unconditional renewal of MFN, is helping to improve the situation in Tibet today. This is deeply disappointing to the Tibetan people and to the many supporters of the Tibetan cause in this country and in substance it differs very little from President Bush's policy of "constructive engagement".

Conclusion

Mr. Chairman, the United States' policy of constructive and comprehensive engagement with China has not brought any relief to the Tibetan people.

It is clearly a difficult time in U.S. - China relations as a result of disagreements over Taiwan, intellectual property rights, weapons proliferation and human rights. In addition, Deng Xiaoping's impending death has added an element of uncertainty in China's internal political situation. But it is precisely because of this delicate time that the United States must remain firm in its commitment to human rights. To bend now on this critical issue would indicate a weakness on all fronts. Furthermore, as a result of the increasing number of Chinese settlers moving into Tibet and the worsening human rights situation in Tibet, the Tibetan cause cannot wait long for the U.S. and the international community to take a strong and principled stand on human rights.

We remain convinced that the United States is the country that can have the greatest impact on bringing about a positive change in China's treatment of the Chinese and Tibetan people. A strong showing of support for human rights and the rule of law will help strengthen the hands of the more liberal elements in China's leadership and could play a critical role in assisting a peaceful transition to a more democratic China. If the Chinese Government is made to understand that it cannot have the relationship it wants with the United States until there is clear improvement in its human rights policies, we are convinced that it will take the necessary steps.

In order to help bring an end to the egregious human rights violations perpetrated by the Chinese Government against the Tibetan people, we recommend that the United States should adopt the following course of action:

* raise at the highest levels in the Chinese Government your strong concern about the recent crackdown in Tibet. We have kept the Administration fully informed about the deteriorating situation in Tibet and I can say from my personal experience that there are many people in the Administration who are deeply concerned about Tibet. Despite this, the Administration has yet to issue a public statement of concern about the recent escalation of repression in Tibet. We are very concerned that the Administration is dragging its heels while the suffering in Tibet intensifies and we would be very grateful if Senators could put pressure on the State Department to make public what they plan to do about the current situation in Tibet. We also ask Senators to express their outrage over recent events in Tibet during debate about China's MFN status on the Senate floor;

* use economic leverage, whether it be China's Most Favored Nation trading status or China's entry into the World Trade Organization, to pressure China to improve its human rights record in China and Tibet;

* support multilateral efforts calling on the Chinese to allow access for human rights monitors and the press into Tibet, for example by including Tibet on the agenda of the upcoming G7 Summit in Lyon, France;

* establish a Special Envoy on Tibet within the Administration to help streamline U.S. policy towards Tibet, and in particular to help push for a negotiated settlement between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government;

* raise concerns about the status of and the human right situation in Tibet at every opportunity with the Chinese leadership.

Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, for this opportunity to testify before you today.