Washington: US State Department reports highlight China’s repression in Tibet

Washington: The US State Department, in two recent reports, highlighted China’s continued repression in Tibet and called for stronger international efforts and a peaceful resolution to the Tibet-China issue.

According to the 2026 Report to Congress on Access to Tibetan Areas, China continued restricting access to Tibet in 2025, particularly for journalists, diplomats and tourists. The report, mandated under the 2018 Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, noted that special permits remain compulsory for travel to the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), making it the only region in China with such restrictions. The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said US officials visiting Tibetan areas often faced surveillance, intimidation and limits on meetings with local authorities. While US consular officials from Beijing visited TAR in September 2025 — the first such visit since 2019 — foreign access overall remained tightly controlled. Officials met tour operators and visited hospitals and cultural sites during the trip.

The report also stated that nearly all US journalists were denied access to Tibet, while those allowed to report faced intimidation from Chinese authorities. Tibetan Americans reportedly undergo stricter screening when applying for travel permits, and many said they self-censor in the US out of fear of reprisals against relatives in Tibet.

The second report, the 2025 Report to Congress on Tibet Negotiations, said the US has repeatedly urged China to end human rights abuses in Tibet. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed support for Tibetans’ “universal, fundamental and inalienable human rights” in a Losar message earlier this year.

However, the ICT criticised Washington for failing to push strongly for renewed Sino-Tibetan dialogue. No formal talks have taken place between China and representatives of Dalai Lama since 2010, the group noted, adding that the latest report did not mention any direct US appeals for resuming negotiations. (IANS)

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