Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) Spokesperson Sonam Norbu Dagpo made a statement on the appointment of Jim McGovern as the Chairperson of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China(CECC) and Senator Marco Rubio as Co-chairperson.
He said “ We are extremely happy for the appointment of Congressman Jim McGovern and Marco Rubio as the Chairman and Co-chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China respectively. We extend our heartiest congratulations to both of them. Congressman McGovern has long been associated with the cause of Tibet and thus have a deep understanding of the human rights issues in China. We are certain that they will bring the issue of human right violation particularly in China to the forefront of global discussions”
One of the strongest voices and an eternal champion for the cause of Tibet, Congressman McGovern first introduced the H.R. 1872, the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act in 2014. In April 2017, on the eve of the first summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the bill was introduced in both House and Senate of the US Congress by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Randy Hultgren (R-IL).
Under this bill, Chinese authorities who are involved in the design and implementation of policies that restrict travel to Tibetan areas become ineligible to receive a visa or be admitted to the United States.
Arguing that the basis of diplomatic law is mutual access and reciprocity, Representative McGovern said that while Chinese diplomats and journalists travel freely in the US, the Government of China has erected many barriers in areas of China inhabited by ethnic Tibetans.
Rep McGovern further raised concerns over the many negative consequences faced by Tibetans in China and for citizens of the United States as a result of the existing restrictions to Tibet.
He focuses on international human rights, for which he has advocated in many countries.
The article below is sourced from here.
(Washington, DC)–U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) as Chair of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) for the 116th Congress. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appointed Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) as Cochair.
“I am honored to serve as the Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China for the 116th Congress. Strong support for human rights ought to be at the heart of America’s foreign policy. We must send the message that we stand with those around the world whose rights and freedoms have been trampled, whether it is the right to culture and religious freedom, or the right to food and medicine, or the right to speak out and organize,” said McGovern. “It is important that we not turn a blind eye to the Chinese Government’s deteriorating human rights record, especially as it seeks to export its authoritarian model abroad. From people of faith in Tibet to labor activists and political prisoners, our goal first and foremost must be to speak out and hold the Chinese Government accountable for its actions. I look forward to partnering with Senator Rubio as we work together to face this great challenge.”
“I’m honored to return to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and serve as its Cochair,” Rubio said. “I look forward to working with Chairman Jim McGovern on the Commission’s continuing efforts to stand with the Chinese people and shine a light on the Communist Chinese Government’s systemic and egregious abuses of human rights and the rule of law, including China’s internment of over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, its denial of fundamental freedoms in Hong Kong, and its brutal repression of human rights lawyers, journalists, Tibetan Buddhists, Christians, and others.”
Congress created the Commission in 2000 to monitor China’s compliance with international human rights standards, to encourage the development of the rule of law in the PRC, and to establish and maintain a list of victims of human rights abuses in China. The Commission submits an annual report to the President and Congress every October on these subjects. The Commission’s 2018 Annual Report is available here. A Chinese translation of the Annual Report’s Executive Summary is also available. The Commission’s Political Prisoner Database, with information on over 1,400 currently detained prisoners of conscience in China, can be searched and accessed here.
The Commission is comprised of nine Senators, nine Members of the House of Representatives, and five senior Administration officials. The Speaker of the House, in consultation with the House Minority Leader, chooses the House Members of the Commission. The Senate Majority Leader, in consultation with the Senate Minority Leader, names the Senate’s commissioners. The President appoints the five Executive Branch commissioners. An updated list of appointments from the House, Senate and the Administration for the 116th Congress can be found on the CECC’s website. There are currently no Executive Branch appointments.