-By International Campaign for Tibet, 21 November 2025
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China’s latest hearing featured testimony from Chinese Christians, a Hui Muslim, and a Tibetan Buddhist – including ICT’s Bhuchung K. Tsering. It also included resounding calls for new initiatives to take a tougher stance on China’s ongoing occupation of Tibet.
The hearing, entitled “China’s War on Religion: The Threat to Religious Freedom and Why It Matters to the United States,” took place on November 20, 2025. The other witnesses included Sam Brownback, former Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, Ismail Juma, a Hui Muslim human rights advocate, Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid, and Grace Jin Drexel, daughter of Pastor Ezra Jin.
The hearing was chaired by CECC chairman Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and attended by co-chair Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Rep. Dale Strong (R-AL), and Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA).
Need to establish consequences for China
Tibet came up repeatedly during the hearing, with panelists and legislators alike in agreement on the need to impose consequences for China’s refusal to resume dialogue with representatives of the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration.
“There is a cultural genocide in Tibet going on today, and we need to call it out,” Brownback said in his opening comments.
“We should categorically reject the Chinese government’s claim to the right to appoint the next Dalai Lama,” he continued, saying that Vice President Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio should travel to Dharamsala to meet with the Dalai Lama.
“I believe we should announce our support for the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way Approach for Tibet,” Brownback announced, “and if China will not agree to this within a set period of time, say 60 days, we should announce our recognition of an independent Tibet.”
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) expressed agreement. “I share, by the way, Ambassador Brownback, a kind of impatience on the Tibetan issue,” he stated.
“We need to be thinking in terms of consequences, of responses that are more than just words of condemnation but that have an impact. I actually like the idea of putting deadlines on some of this stuff, and if China doesn’t comply, then we formally recognize Tibet as an independent country,” McGovern continued.
Asked about this proposal by McGovern, ICT’s Bhuchung Tsering highlighted the need for international support.
“The Dalai Lama and the elected leadership of the Tibetan people have been earnestly working for a solution,” Tsering said, “and the path of peaceful struggle they have led needs international support to be fulfilled. If there is enough international pressure on China, whether through such acts that you describe or any other way of strengthening American policy, that can only help if the Chinese government responds by sitting down and resolving the issue of Tibet.”
“I appreciate that,” McGovern replied. “We need to step it up here in Congress, and we need to encourage the administration to use the tools that we have given them to pressure China even more.” Click here to read more.
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