US Democrats press Trump to raise Tibet, Uyghur human rights issue with Xi

Democratic lawmakers have urged President Donald Trump to raise human rights concerns including Chinas treatment of Tibetans and Uyghurs during Chinese President Xi Jinpings forthcoming White House visit accusing his administration of sidelining the issue in relations with BeijingAt a Democraticled hearing on Tuesday lawmakers said commercial interests should not eclipse concerns over repression in China They also criticised cuts to programmes supporting human rights groups and independent information for Chinese audiencesThe hearing brought together Representatives Greg Stanton Jim McGovern Ro Khanna Nancy Pelosi and Seth Moulton Their opening statements were released on September 16 local timeStanton said Trump would host Xi for a state dinner the following week He urged Washington to confront Beijing over its treatment of ethnic and religious minoritiesStanding up for the oppressed in the PRC whether it be Uyghurs Tibetans Hong Kongers Mongolians or Han Chinese has always been and must be a bipartisan issueStanton alleged that 650000 Tibetans were forced from their homes in 2024 under a programme involving the transfer of rural workers He also cited an estimate that almost 35 million Tibetans had been forced from their homes since 2000He said persecution of Uyghurs continued more than three years after the House select committee on China held a hearing focused on their treatmentThe supplied release contained no response from the White House or the Chinese government to the lawmakers allegationsMcGovern the top Democrat on the CongressionalExecutive Commission on China accused Trump of abandoning a longstanding approach that combined engagement with pressure over human rightsPresident Trump has removed human rights from US foreign policy in favour of a transactional approachHe criticised Secretary of State Marco Rubio over cuts to the State Departments human rights work and grants to organisations focused on China He also attacked administration efforts to eliminate Radio Free Asia and Voice of AmericaMcGovern said the current Congress had not sent a single China human rights bill to the president He contrasted that record with several bipartisan measures passed between 2018 and 2024Khanna the senior Democrat on the House select committee on China questioned whether Trumps trade rhetoric was matched by action against goods produced through forced labourWe actually were enforcing the law Khanna said referring to the Biden administrationHe accused Trump of failing to follow through on the issue despite promises to protect American manufacturers and rebalance trade with ChinaPelosi warned against allowing business interests to determine Washingtons response to abuses She also stressed the importance of publicly naming prisoners and recognising their courageWe always want to mention whether were delivering letters whether were speaking on the floor whatever it is to make sure that people in prison know that they are not forgotten that their courage is recognised and we will not rest until there is some justice in all of thisMoulton argued that competition with China extended beyond military and economic strength to international leadership and values He said cuts to independent journalism and civil society programmes weakened Americas ability to communicate with people in ChinaThe witnesses included Uyghur Post founder Tahir Imin International Tibet Media Organization president Palden Gyal China researcher Yaqiu Wang and Hong Kong freedom advocate Jonathan StiversCongress has previously passed bipartisan legislation addressing Tibet Uyghur rights and Hong Kong These measures include the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act the Tibetan Policy and Support Act and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention ActThe Dalai Lama received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 at a ceremony attended by President George W Bush and congressional leaders from both parties McGovern cited that event as an example of Washingtons earlier bipartisan engagement on human rights in ChinaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever