WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2020) The United States has introduced sanctions against Chinese officials over Beijing's policies that deal with granting or restricting access to foreigners seeking to visit Tibet, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.
"Therefore, today I am announcing visa restrictions on PRC [People's Republic of China] government and Chinese Communist Party officials determined to be 'substantially involved in the formulation or execution of policies related to access for foreigners to Tibetan areas,' pursuant to the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018," Pompeo said on Tuesday.
The Secretary of State said "access to Tibetan areas is increasingly vital to regional stability, given the PRC's human rights abuses there, as well as Beijing's failure to prevent environmental degradation near the headwaters of Asia's major rivers."
Pompeo emphasized that the United States is committed to supporting Tibetans' fundamental human rights as well as autonomy.
"The United States will continue to work to advance the sustainable economic development, environmental conservation, and humanitarian conditions of Tibetan communities within the People's Republic of China and abroad," Pompeo said.
In the spirit of true reciprocity, the administration will work closely with Congress to ensure that US citizens have full access to all areas of the China, including the TAR and other Tibetan areas, Pompeo added.
