DHARAMSHALA: During a rare visit to Tibet, US Ambassador Gary Locke has urged the Chinese leadership to open up Tibet to foreign diplomats, journalists and tourists.

Ambassador Locke, accompanied by embassy staff and his family members, has met with residents and officials during a three-day local government-organised trip in and around Tibet’s capital, Lhasa. The visit ends Friday, The Associated Press reported.

US Embassy deputy spokesman Justin Higgins said it was the first time Chinese authorities had approved an embassy request to visit Tibet since September 2010.

The embassy said that in his meetings, Locke lobbied for opening access to Tibet to foreign diplomats, journalists and tourists and stressed the “importance of preserving the Tibetan people’s cultural heritage, including its unique linguistic, religious and cultural traditions.”

“We remain concerned by the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibetan areas, including the tragic self-immolations. The US urges Beijing to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives without preconditions,” Higgins said.

The Chinese government has imposed tight restrictions on foreign diplomats, the international media and tourists from visiting Tibet. Since 2009, over 119 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in protest against the repressive rule of the Chinese government. The self-immolators have called for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet and freedom for Tibetans.