Dharamshala: A bipartisan US congressional delegation met the 14th Dalai Lama at his residence in Himachal Pradesh’s hill town of Dharamshala on Wednesday.
The five-member delegation, led by US House foreign affairs committee chairman Brian Mast, expressed firm support for the Tibetan cause. The group, comprising representatives James Gallagher, Jimmy Patronis, Shri Thanedar, and Haley Stevens, arrived in Dharamshala on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mast said: “We had a long conversation about a great number of things. Certainly, China was among the top issues—the freedom of the people of Tibet, his representation of freedom across the globe, just as we believe that the United States of America is a representation of freedom across the globe.”
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“There will probably be a response from China to our visit here. Just our presence, being here with the Dalai Lama, is something they despise. In my opinion, they despise the existence of His Holiness. They will do anything to suppress Tibetan people; they have made that very evident,” Mast added.
Addressing Beijing’s potential interference in selecting the next Dalai Lama, Mast remarked: “This is not new. China has previously abducted those who have been named by His Holiness, never to be seen again. What’s going on today with China likely pursuing their own nomination for reincarnation is a different path than His Holiness would see take place.”
“It’s not surprising in any kind of way because there’s no measure that I believe China wouldn’t go to reach their aim of suppressing the people of Tibet. And if that means abducting somebody, they will do it. If that means abducting a whole family, they will do it. If that means naming their own lama, they will do it. There is nothing that they won’t do in pursuit of their aim,” he stated.
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Tibetans maintain that recognising the reincarnations of lamas in Tibetan Buddhism is strictly a Tibetan religious tradition. Conversely, Beijing asserts that selecting any successor must comply with Chinese law, reinforcing its control over Tibetan Buddhism while rejecting any succession beyond state authority.
The delegation’s visit comes shortly after a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during Xi’s state visit to the United States. Asked about that summit, Mast said: “His Holiness also believes that it is important to meet with leaders across the globe. His Holiness believed that it was important that President Trump meet with Xi Jinping. They are two leaders of the world’s biggest and strongest countries. So yes, it’s very important and it should happen. It doesn’t take away in any way from believing that China should not be repressing its people—should not be repressing the Tibetan people or the Uyghur people or taking your pick of people—but rather working to embrace freedom and support freedom across the globe.”
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Representative Gallagher added: “We have this delegation from our House of Representatives. We want to continue the dialogue and continue to stand for freedom. Our first president, George Washington, talked about keeping the sacred fire of liberty burning. That’s what this is about today. We meet with His Holiness, who has been keeping the sacred fire of liberty burning here and for the Tibetan people. So we are united in that effort.”
Congresswoman Haley Stevens echoed the sentiment: “We will not forget the story of the Tibetans. We will not forget the power of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and what it means to have peace and democracy.”
This visit follows a similar mission in June 2024, when a bipartisan US House delegation including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and then-House foreign affairs committee chairman Michael McCaul visited Dharamshala to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader.