Will meet Dalai Lama, sanction Chinese officials for abuses in Tibet: Joe Biden

Washington, Sep 04: Slamming Beijing's plan to further tighten control over Tibet, Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden has said that if voted to power, his administration will sanction Chinese officials responsible for human rights abuses in Tibet.

"My administration will sanction Chinese officials responsible for human rights abuses in Tibet, and step up support for the Tibetan people, including by expanding Tibetan language services at Radio Free Asia and Voice of America to get information from the outside world into Tibet," Biden said.

Biden vowed that as president he will meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, appoint a new Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, and insist that the Chinese government restore access to Tibet for US citizens, including our diplomats and journalists.

Noting that this past weekend, the Chinese government announced plans to further tighten control over Tibet, thereby continuing to erode the human rights, religious freedoms, and dignity of the Tibetan people, Biden said that these are only the latest efforts by Beijing to crush ethnic minorities that seek to preserve their distinct culture, language, and beliefs.

"Where (President Donald) Trump has turned a blind eye, a Biden-Harris administration will stand up for the people of Tibet," Biden said.

In his statement, Biden alleged that Trump has been weak on his China policy. "Once again, the silence from President Trump has been deafening, as he focuses instead on his empty trade deal with Beijing and protecting his ''very good friendship'' with Chinese President Xi Jinping. It''s disgraceful, though not surprising, that Trump is the first American president in three decades who has not met or spoken with His Holiness the Dalai Lama," he said.

"Trump hasn''t even fulfilled the statutory requirement to appoint a Special Coordinator to lead America''s efforts on this vital issue. It''s no wonder China''s leaders believe they have a free hand to deepen repression in Tibet, just as they have in Hong Kong and Xinjiang," Biden said.

A day earlier, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had called upon Beijing to enter into dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives without preconditions, to reach a settlement that resolves their differences.

"We''re also concerned about Chinese actions in Tibet, in light of the general secretary''s recent calls to ''Sinicise'' Tibetan Buddhism and fight ''splittism'' there," Pompeo told reporters on Wednesday.