US names Tibet coordinator, draws warning from China

Uzra Zeya, Acting Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, speaks at a news conference in Beijing August 2, 2013. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/Files

WASHINGTON — The United States on Monday named Undersecretary of State Uzra Zeya as special coordinator for Tibet, drawing a warning from China to stay out of its internal affairs.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Zeya, who is responsible for democracy and human rights, would lead U.S. efforts to preserve the Chinese-ruled territory’s religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage in the face of human rights abuses by Beijing.

Beijing has consistently refused to deal with a U.S. coordinator on Tibet and China’s Washington embassy on Monday denounced the move as “political manipulation.”

“The U.S. should stop interfering in China’s internal affairs or destabilizing Tibet under the pretext of Tibet-related issues. China will take all necessary measures to safeguard our interests,” embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu said in an email, without elaborating.

Blinken said Zeya would also seek to promote dialogue between China and Tibet’s spiritual leader in exile, the Dalai Lama, or democratically elected Tibetan leaders.

“She will lead U.S. efforts to preserve the religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage of Tibetans who are facing human rights abuses and challenges to their livelihoods and environment,” Blinken said in a tweet.

China reacted angrily last year and accused the United States of seeking to destabilize Tibet after the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump appointed Zeya’s predecessor to the same role.

U.S.-China relations have been at their lowest point in decades over a range of issues, including trade, Taiwan, human rights, the South China Sea and the coronavirus.

China seized control of Tibet after its troops entered the region in 1950 in what it calls a “peaceful liberation.” Tibet has since become one of the most restricted areas in the country. Critics, led by the Dalai Lama, say Beijing’s rule amounts to “cultural genocide”.

The International Campaign for Tibet advocacy group welcomed Zeya’s new role and in an emailed statement its interim president Bhuchung Tsering urged Zeya to take the lead in gathering support from like-minded countries to formulate a common approach on Tibet, as mandated by the Tibetan Policy and Support Act passed in the United States last year.