A Tibetan advocacy organisation has urged US President Donald Trump to raise the issue of Tibet and the missing 11th Panchen Lama during his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) called on Trump to press Beijing for the resumption of substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama and Tibetan representatives, as well as seek information about the whereabouts of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, whom the Dalai Lama recognised as the 11th Panchen Lama in 1995.
According to the organisation, the request comes at a time when concerns remain over policies affecting Tibet’s religious, cultural and linguistic identity. ICT said established US policy calls for the Tibet-China dispute to be addressed peacefully through substantive dialogue without preconditions.
ICT President Tencho Gyatso said Trump should use his discussions with Xi to encourage the resumption of dialogue between Chinese authorities and representatives of the Dalai Lama. The organisation has also raised concerns about China’s recently introduced “Ethnic Unity and Progress Law”, which it says could affect the preservation of Tibetan identity.
The Panchen Lama issue remains one of the central concerns raised by Tibetan groups. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was recognised by the Dalai Lama on May 14, 1995, when he was six years old. He and his family disappeared shortly afterwards, and his whereabouts have remained unknown publicly. US government reports have also documented the continued lack of publicly verified information about him.
China has previously said that the Panchen Lama is living a normal life and does not wish to be disturbed, but independent access to him has remained unavailable.
The ICT has also joined dozens of human rights organisations in calling for greater transparency regarding the treatment of Tibetans, Uyghurs and other communities in China. The groups have urged Beijing to take what they describe as immediate and verifiable steps concerning human rights.
Among their demands is the release of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and other political prisoners. They have also called for US officials to be allowed to meet the Panchen Lama independently if he is not released or publicly presented.
The organisations further called for dialogue between Chinese authorities and representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration. They have also criticised policies they say contribute to the assimilation of Tibetan communities and threaten their religious, linguistic and cultural traditions.
ICT's latest appeal comes ahead of Xi's planned visit to the United States and his expected discussions with Trump. The group said Tibet and human rights should form part of those talks.
The organisation has specifically asked Trump to address three issues: renewed dialogue with Tibetan representatives, the release or independent access to the Panchen Lama, and changes to policies that it says threaten Tibetan cultural and religious identity.
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