Brian Mast

A senior US lawmaker has reaffirmed Washington's support for Tibetans' pursuit of freedom and criticised China's treatment of Tibetans, a week after President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in the US.

US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast met Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Wednesday, September 30, in a visit that brought renewed attention to Washington's position on Tibet just as the Trump administration seeks to manage relations with Beijing.

Mast said the freedom of the Tibetan people and China were among the key topics of his discussion with the Dalai Lama, whom he said he views as a representation of freedom around the world.

"The meeting with His Holiness was something I will never forget," Mast told reporters after the meeting, adding that the US would continue to support Tibetans and other groups facing repression by the Chinese government.

The visit comes at a time of relatively higher attention to Tibet and China's broader human rights violations after Xi's US visit. Protests by Tibetans, Hong Kong activists and others were held outside the White House and the hotel where Xi and his wife stayed.

"Our fight in the US House of Representatives constantly (is) to support the people of Tibet, to support the Uyghur people against what the Chinese government is doing to repress them," Mast said.

He also said his meeting with the Dalai Lama was not in conflict with Trump's meeting with Xi last week including a grand red-carpet welcome, saying engagement between the leaders of the world's two largest powers remained important.

Asked whether Trump's meeting with Xi had any implications on the US approach to Tibet, Mast said the Dalai Lama himself believed it was important for leaders to meet.

"They are two leaders of the world's biggest and strongest countries across the globe. So, yes, it's very important, and it should happen," Mast said.

"It doesn't take away in any way from believing that China should not be repressing its people, should not be repressing the Tibetan people or the Uyghur people," he said.

Addressing transnational repression

Mast also expressed concerns about China's transnational repression, saying Beijing's efforts to monitor and intimidate critics extended beyond its borders.

"They have proven that they will observe people they will send. Spies to different countries. They will send police to different countries to observe anybody that they can and repress what they do not want to see," Mast said, responding to a question by Radio Free Asia.

Mast also expressed support for bipartisan legislation in the US House concerning Tibet, saying he was hopeful Congress would continue to pass measures supporting the Tibetan people.

"We're always hopeful that we'll do more and be able to pass more, to support the people of Tibet," he said.

On reincarnation

The lawmaker also criticised any attempt by Beijing to influence the Dalai Lama's succession, saying China could seek to impose its own choice for his reincarnation.

Mast said such a move would not be surprising given China's previous efforts to control the succession process, including the disappearance of people identified by the Dalai Lama to assist with it.

"There's no measure that I believe China wouldn't go to to reach their aim of suppressing the people of Tibet," he said.