The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) has formally requested that U.S. President Donald Trump address human rights concerns and the status of Tibet during his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The meeting is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., on September 24.
In a press release issued on September 17, the ICT urged the Chinese government to take verifiable steps to improve its human rights record. The organization joined 29 other human rights groups in a letter addressed to President Xi, which alleges that the Chinese government has committed systematic human rights violations against Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other communities. The letter calls for the release of prisoners of conscience, an end to transnational repression, and legal reforms regarding religious practice, free speech, and association.
ICT President Tencho Gyatso stated that U.S. policy, as established by the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 and the Resolve Tibet Act of 2024, mandates that the U.S. government promote peaceful dialogue between Chinese authorities and the Dalai Lama or democratically elected Tibetan leaders. Gyatso urged President Trump to use the meeting to press for the resumption of these discussions, specifically citing concerns over China’s recently implemented Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which the ICT claims threatens Tibetan identity.
The ICT outlined three specific requests for the Chinese government: the resumption of unconditional dialogue with the Dalai Lama’s representatives and the Central Tibetan Administration; the release of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, or alternatively, allowing U.S. officials to meet with him; and the repeal of the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, alongside an end to policies the organization describes as forced assimilation.
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