US Imposes Visa Restrictions on Chinese Officials Over Tibet Visit Limitations (Comprehensive)

Announcement One Day After the Dalai Lama's Birthday

Tibetan independence activists are burning the Chinese national flag.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The U.S. government announced that it will restrict visas for Chinese officials involved in blocking visits by U.S. diplomats, journalists, and tourists to the Tibet Autonomous Region and other Tibetan areas.

Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State, said in a statement released on the 7th (local time), "Today, I announce visa restrictions on Chinese government and Communist Party officials who are substantially involved in establishing or implementing policies related to foreign access to the Tibet region."

Secretary Pompeo stated that this measure is taken against Chinese officials under a new U.S. law that pressures China to allow U.S. diplomats, journalists, and tourists to visit the Tibet region.

The announcement was made abruptly one day after the birthday of Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.

The United States passed the "Tibet Reciprocal Access Act" in 2018 to guarantee visits to Tibet after China restricted visits by U.S. journalists, diplomats, and ordinary tourists.

Last year, Terry Branstad, the U.S. Ambassador to China, visited the Tibet Autonomous Region for the first time in four years amid escalating trade tensions between the two countries.