The Snow Leopard, Dragon and Eagle: Tibet and US-China Relations

• In Event: Challenges in China's External Relations Today

Abstract

Tibet has long been one of the most contentious issues within Sino-U.S. relations. Yet, Washington’s support for the rooftop of the world has varied significantly over time. Through the utilization of archival material, elite interviews, and other sources, this paper describes such variation through documenting changes in both Congressional and White House attention to Tibet from the normalization of U.S.-China relations in the early 1970s through the first 100 days of the Biden Administration. It pays particular attention to legislative activity (as measured through the volume and substance of Congressional debate related to Tibet during this period, and also tracing legislation that moved through the Capital during this period, culminating most recently in the passage of the 2020 Tibetan Policy and Support Act), and comparable White House measures (with a particular focus on the substance and timing of meetings which have occurred between U.S. Presidents and the Dalai Lama). It also examines comparable developments that have occurred within the Chinese state during this period (especially within the National People’s Congress and in the activities of successive Chinese leaders). It then argues that while strategic considerations appear to have played a significant role in producing such outcomes, the Tibetans have had a good deal of agency in shaping US actions as well, especially via extensive public relations efforts and lobbying. But, such successes have at best been met with cold silence in Beijing (and often produced rather strong Chinese counter measures). The paper then speaks not only to the current place of Tibet between the U.S. and China, but also to broader questions related to the Sino-US relationship, and, where it is heading.

Author

• Allen Carlson, Cornell University