Today, I am taking steps to impose additional visa restrictions on Chinese officials determined to be substantially involved in the formulation or execution of policies related to access for foreigners to Tibetan Areas, pursuant to the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018.
For far too long, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has refused to afford U.S. diplomats, journalists, and other international observers access to the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and other Tibetan areas of China, while China’s diplomats and journalists enjoy broad access in the United States. U.S. diplomats are also unable to provide services to U.S. citizens traveling in Tibet. This lack of reciprocity is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. I urge the CCP to immediately address the lack of reciprocity and allow diplomats, among others, unrestricted access to the TAR and other Tibetan areas of China.