"China will respond to the US policy on Tibet"

The Chinese government has announced that it will respond to the visa restrictions imposed by the United States on Chinese officials, citing their alleged involvement in the forced assimilation of approximately one million children from the so-called indigenous ethnic minority in the Tibet Region.

During a daily press briefing in Beijing, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbin, indicated that the US visa measure amounted to direct interference in China's internal affairs, stating that they "categorically rejected" the decision.

Wang, while accusing the US of applying illegal sanctions on Chinese officials based on "fabricated lies" about Tibet, stated that China would, on the basis of reciprocity, impose visa restrictions on certain US citizens who have been "spreading rumors" and have been involved for a long time in Tibetan-related issues with the aim of tarnishing China's image.

Wang did not disclose the names of individuals who would be subject to the visa restrictions but called on the Washington administration to stop disseminating disinformation about Tibet and to refrain from meddling in Tibet-related matters, similar to what is happening in East Turkistan.

The US Department of State had previously announced on August 22 that it would impose visa restrictions on Chinese officials responsible for the forced assimilation of approximately one million children in state-run boarding schools in the Tibet Region, similar to the policies implemented in East Turkistan. The department did not disclose the names of the officials subject to these visa restrictions.

Chinese officials have consistently denied allegations of systematic genocide in East Turkistan and have accused the US of spreading rumors and falsehoods.

The UN draws attention to cultural assimilation

United Nations experts had previously drawn attention to the cultural assimilation faced by approximately one million children from indigenous ethnic minorities in the Tibet Region who are separated from their families and placed in state-run boarding schools.

In a statement released on February 6, UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Rights Fernand de Varennes, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education Farida Shaheed, and UN Rapporteur on Cultural Rights Alexandra Xanthaki highlighted that Tibetan minority children were subjected to mandatory education in the common language, Mandarin Chinese, and were unable to maintain their traditional language and culture.

The experts noted that state schools did not adequately incorporate Tibetan language, history, and culture into their education, leading to the loss of the ability of Tibetan children to use their ethnic language and communicate with their parents and grandparents, resulting in assimilation and identity erosion.

The experts emphasized that these policies violated the education, language, and cultural rights of the Tibetan people and were contrary to the principle of non-discrimination. They expressed concerns that this policy aimed to forcibly assimilate Tibetan identity into the dominant culture of the Han Chinese majority.