By Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Aug 1: China announced on Wednesday that it has imposed sanctions on United States lawmaker Jim McGovern, accusing him of “frequently interfering” in the country’s internal affairs and undermining China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.
McGovern dismissed the sanctions as “absurd” and stated he would wear them “as a badge of honor.” “If (Chinese) leaders don’t like it when people speak out against their horrific human rights record, maybe they should improve their horrific human rights record,” McGovern wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They can start by ending their oppression of Tibetans, ending their genocide in Xinjiang, and ending their crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong.”
The sanctions, effectively July 31, also include freezing his assets and properties in China, prohibiting any organization or individual in China from conducting transactions or working with him, and denying him and his family visas to enter the country, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Beijing has previously sanctioned numerous US lawmakers and officials over their support for Tibet, Taiwan, and criticisms of China’s gross human rights violations. Last year, China sanctioned Rep. Michael McCaul for his visit to Taiwan, stating he violated the “One China Policy” that Beijing claims grants it sovereignty over the self-governed democratic island. It also sanctioned Rep. Michael Gallagher over his support for Taiwan and, in 2020, sanctioned Rep. Chris Smith and several US senators, including Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.
Last month, the US Congress adopted a bipartisan law, the Resolve Tibet Act, which strengthens support for Tibet, where China faces accusations of human rights abuses. Jim McGovern, a Democrat, was one of the authors and co-sponsors of the bill. In June, a high-level US congressional delegation led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul and including US Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, along with Reps. Gregory W. Meeks, Jim McGovern, Ami Bera, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, and Nicole Malliotakis, visited the exile polity in Dharamshala and met with the exiled spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
The US congressional delegation also pledged unwavering support for Tibet and its people during a public felicitation hosted by the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, officially known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA). At the event, Rep. Jim McGovern reflected on his 2015 delegation to Lhasa, Tibet, where he personally witnessed the Chinese government’s repression, describing it as “horrible” and an experience “we will never forget.” He reiterated the unwavering US support for Tibet and the legislation’s commitment to countering China’s false narratives about Tibet, stating, “The PRC claims that Tibet has been a part of China since ancient times, which is ridiculous and historically incorrect. We must correct the record.”
One Response
Chia is acting like a “cry-baby” or absolutely childish. Get one on one therapy; so that you become more adult and matured. I support Representative Jim McGovern’s noble work 100 percent and wish him success in all his future endeavors.
Unlike China’s leadership, the Honorable Jim McGovern was elected by thousands of his constituents, and not only he works for his constituents, but also for people who are suffering under ruthless dictatorship elsewhere in the world. By insulting The Honorable McGovern, China’s leadership is also insulting his constituents.
I am sure the majority of Chinese people would like to live in freedom, and enjoy the fundamental human rights like any other people in the world. Human rights are inherent to all human beings regardless of nationality and race. May China see the freedom of sunshine in the very near future!