Lawmakers Invited To Visit Tibet

By Zhao Huanxin in Washington | China Daily USA | Updated: 2017-12-06 12:31

US lawmakers are welcome to visit Tibet to better understand the autonomous region of China, a senior Chinese legislator from Tibet said in Washington on Tuesday.

"Seeing is believing. We've extended our invitation to ask more senators and representatives to visit Tibet, and they said they are very much interested in going to the region to see for themselves the changes and achievements in Tibet," said Danzeng Langjie, vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of the Tibet autonomous region.

Danzeng Langjie made the remarks at a press conference Tuesday afternoon after a delegation that he led met with US senators Steve Daines, John Barraso and congressmen Darin LaHood and Rick Larsen.

The Tibetan delegation of three local legislators and one national legislator visited Canada, Argentina and the United States from Nov 26. Washington was the last leg of the US trip, which also included a visit to Boston.

During the 10-day journey, the delegation had talks with parliament members and government officials as well as academics on topics covering the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as Tibet's economic development, poverty alleviation, religious and cultural protection, ethnic unity and the central government's preferential policies for Tibet's development.

Visits to Tibet often change how visitors perceive the autonomous region, which stretches more than 1.2 million square kilometers, according to Danzeng Langjie.

Senator Daines already visited Tibet in April and he expects to visit again, Danzeng Langjie said.

Daines led a congressional delegation to China less than three months after US President Donald Trump took office. During the visit, Daines met with Premier Li Keqiang in Beijing and some senior officials in Tibet.

"He (Daines) just visited Lhasa, and he has seen the changes that took place in Tibet and the people's aspirations," Danzeng Langjie said. "We have more grassroots areas in six other cities and prefectures [for him] to visit."

The more places they visit, the more comprehensive their understanding of Tibet will be, he said.

Danzeng Langjie also said that during the visit to the three countries, the delegation met some Tibetan people who had studied or stayed in those countries. They are enthusiastic about and proud of the development in Tibet, and they want to go back to Tibet to contribute to the region's growth.

"In Boston (on Monday), I talked with a dozen Tibetans who said their views on Tibet have been totally changed compared with 10 years ago," he said. "Some of them are US citizens now, but they want to apply for a Chinese green card so that they could go back and settle in Tibet."

During their three-day visit to Argentina that ended on Saturday, the Argentine side promised to deepen cooperation in various fields and promote personnel and tourism exchanges with the Tibet region.

huanxinzhao@chinadailyusa.com