US’ New Visa Restrictions On China Over Access To Tibet

• 13 Jul 2020

• The US has announced new visa bans on senior Chinese officials involved in restricting access to foreigners to the sensitive region of Tibet and reaffirmed its support for "meaningful autonomy" for Tibetans.
• The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced this in pursuant to the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018.
• The Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2018. It calls for denying access to the US for Chinese officials known to be involved in restricting visits to Tibet.
• Access to Tibetan areas is increasingly vital to regional stability, given the Chinese human rights abuses there, as well as Beijing's failure to prevent environmental degradation near the headwaters of Asia's major rivers.