She said the United States is ready to strengthen contact with China in a friendly and candid way to enhance mutual understanding and consensus.
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United States House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi visited Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, this week and met the Chinese Communist Party chief of the region, according to a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman and a report published by the official Tibet Daily.
“If freedom-loving people throughout the world do not speak out against Chi-na’s oppression and China and Tibet, we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world”, Details about the length of the delegation’s visit and its agenda were not immediately available.
A group of U.S. Congress members has completed the first such trip to Tibet in at least seven years, saying they recognize China’s commitment to building infrastructure in the territory but remain concerned about its cultural, religious and linguistic heritage.
“The delegation recognized China’s commitment to building infrastructure across China, including in Tibet, and addressing climate change”, her statement said.
Pelosi has regularly spoken out about human rights issues in Tibet and has met the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing reviles as a violent separatist.
Pelosi and Zhang also discussed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s September state visit to Washington, with Pelosi describing it as “successful in terms of outcomes”.
“The US delegation, however, reiterated the imperative of respect for religious freedom and expression in Tibet; autonomy and democracy in Hong Kong; and respect for human and women’s rights across China”, Pelosi said. The former House Speaker was asked her impressions of Tibet in a meeting with the head of China’s legislature, Zhang Dejiang, at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the largely symbolic body in the heart of Beijing.
Jim McGovern, chair of a Congress Human Rights Commission, is traveling with Pelosi as part of the delegation.
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Li added that a long-term stable and sound development of the China-U.S. relations is not only beneficial to the two countries, but also a contribution for world peace, stability and development.
