Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Nov 13: U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), a long-time supporter of the Tibet cause and critic of China, will reportedly be nominated as Secretary of State by President-elect Donald Trump, according to multiple reports.
Rubio’s nomination is seen as a boost for human rights advocates, particularly those concerned with China’s treatment of Tibetans and Uyghurs. As a leading advocate for Tibetan rights in Congress, Rubio has introduced several key pieces of legislation aimed at protecting Tibetan autonomy and religious freedom. In 2016, he introduced the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act in the Senate, which sought to address China’s restrictions on foreign access to Tibet. Prior to this, Rubio played a major role in advancing the Tibet Policy and Support Act, which asserts that the decision regarding the future reincarnation of the Dalai Lama should rest solely with the Tibetan religious community and the Dalai Lama himself, free from Chinese government interference.
Rubio’s outspoken criticism of Beijing has frequently put him at odds with Chinese officials. In 2020, China imposed sanctions on Rubio and ten other members of Congress for their public denouncements of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) human rights abuses. When Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Tibet to mark the 70th anniversary of what China calls the “peaceful liberation of Tibet,” Rubio denounced the event as a commemoration of a violent invasion that left a lasting scar on Tibetan history.
On the 63rd anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s arrival in exile in India, Rubio tweeted his continued support for the Tibet cause, expressing his hope for the Dalai Lama’s eventual return to his homeland and the restoration of the human rights of Tibetans.
In January 2024, Rubio issued a statement after the news that Thermo Fisher Scientific had ceased sales of DNA collection kits in Tibet. This move came nearly six years after Rubio first raised concerns about the company’s collaboration with Chinese authorities in supplying equipment used for surveillance. “Throughout the years, Thermo Fisher has supplied DNA sequencing equipment to China’s genocidal regime, which has enabled the surveillance of individuals in East Turkestan and Tibet,” Rubio said at the time. “While the announced stoppage is a long overdue step, it does not exonerate this company from its repeated offenses. The U.S. Department of Commerce must prohibit all American companies from working with public security entities that target Tibetans and Uyghurs. China’s illegal desire to monitor and control minorities cannot be aided by U.S.-based companies.”
Rubio has been a vocal critic of Thermo Fisher’s actions since 2018, when he confronted the company for selling DNA equipment in East Turkistan. Thermo Fisher after scrutiny from rights advocacy groups and protest suspended its sales in East Turkistan but concerns about its operations in Tibet persisted. In December 2022, Rubio and members of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) called on the company to halt its activities in Tibet as well.
The Secretary of State, as the head of the U.S. Department of State, plays a critical role in shaping the country’s foreign policy and is a key member of the President’s Cabinet, ranking fourth in the presidential line of succession.
