China Picture

The Panchen Lama is one of Tibetan Buddhism's most prominent figures. The Government continued to insist that Gyaltsen Norbu, the boy it recognized and enthroned in 1995, was the Panchen Lama's 11th reincarnation. The authorities tightly controlled all aspects of his life, and he made a highly orchestrated visit to Tibet in July. His public appearances were marked by a heavy security presence, and the authorities strictly limited access to the boy. Meanwhile, repeated requests for access to Gendun Choekyi Nyima, the boy recognized by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama, to confirm his well-being and whereabouts, were denied. He first disappeared in 1995, when he was 6 years old. Government officials stated that the boy was being held for his own protection and that he lived in Tibet and attended classes as a "normal schoolboy." The authorities also maintained that both boys were well cared for and were receiving a good education. The vast majority of Tibetan B ... [Read More]

China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)

Government officials maintained that possessing or displaying pictures of the Dalai Lama was not illegal. Authorities, however, appeared to view possession of such photos as evidence of separatist sentiment when detaining individuals on political charges. Pictures of the Dalai Lama were not openly displayed in major monasteries and could not be purchased openly in the TAR. In August, TAR Deputy Chairman Wu Jilie told visiting western journalists that not displaying the Dalai Lama's photo was the voluntary choice of most TAR residents. During the year, diplomatic and other observers saw pictures of a number of religious figures, including the Dalai Lama, displayed more widely in Tibetan areas outside the TAR. The Government also continued to ban pictures of Gendun Choekyi Nyima, the boy recognized by the Dalai Lama as the Panchen Lama. Photos of the "official" Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, were not publicly displayed in most places, most likely because most Tibetans re ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: Schriver Calls Religious Freedom Situation in China "Complex"

The situation in Tibetan regions is a mixed picture. In many areas, Tibetan Buddhist lay practitioners are able to worship relatively freely and engage in religious celebrations, but Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns continued to face restrictions on their ability to pursue a religious education. A number of monks in Sichuan Province were arrested in connection with a series of bombings, and one former monk was quickly put to death despite promises from the Chinese that he would be allowed to appeal his case and that the Supreme Court would review the sentence. China has not conducted open trials in any of these cases, and we have seen no evidence to suggest that Tenzing Delek Rinpoche, a senior religious figure who remains in jail, was in any way connected to the bombings. Elsewhere in Sichuan, a dozen or more Tibetans were arrested in conjunction with a public "long life" ceremony for the Dalai Lama. We fail to see why such activity merits arrest and imprisonment, and we call on C ... [Read More]

USIS Washington File: TRANSCRIPT: 6/19 STATE DEPT. BRIEFING ON CLINTON CHINA TRIP

"And sometimes the big picture of what is going on in China itself is not as obvious," Roth said. Clinton, by taking a "longish trip" and visiting a number of cities, will highlight different aspects of Chinese life and society, he said. ...

ROTH: I think the question of sanctions relief largely relates to the overall results of the summit and the question of whether progress is made on a whole range of issues, including some of the issues for which the sanctions were imposed in the first place. So it's not an issue that can be considered in the abstract but, rather, it's a piece of the entire picture and will have to be decided as a result of the entire summit outcome. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: USTR General Counsel on China's "Imminent" WTO Accession

The Bigger Picture ...

I now want to step back for a minute and let you see the bigger picture: ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Copyright Violations in China, Russia Raise U.S. Senate Concerns

Recent reports on global intellectual property rights (IPR) protections paint a "stark and unattractive" picture of the situation in China, where piracy levels in some sectors exceed 90 percent, Utah Republican Orrin Hatch said during a May 25 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: Assistant Secretary of State Kelly on U.S.-China Relations

In that regard, I want to assure this Committee that we have forcefully raised the recent detentions of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, and will continue to do so. As part of our duty to Americans, we made a public announcement about this worrying trend to ensure that those Americans planning travel to China had a full picture of the situation. ... [Read More]

USIS Washington File: TEXT: DALEY 12/17 REMARKS TO U.S.-CHINA TRADE COMMISSION

This morning we reported our latest trade numbers. And they are not good. While the deficit improved slightly in October, the overall picture remains grim. The deficit this year could hit a record $170 billion. Meanwhile, the trade gap with China showed little improvement. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: Senator Roth Says PNTR for China Would Benefit U.S.

Exports, however, are only half of the trade picture and only half of the story of normalizing our trade relations with China. We benefit from imports as well. Being able to trade for goods that we are relatively less efficient in producing means that investments in our own economy are channeled to more productive use. That enhances our ability to maintain higher than expected economic growth. ...

The significance of PNTR to that overall picture is obvious. According to estimates by Goldman, Sachs, normalizing our trade relations with China and opening China's market through the WTO will result in an increase in our exports of $13 billion annually; thus China's accession to the WTO will enhance the economic prospects for U.S. export-led industries, and employment opportunities for U.S. workers in higher paying export-related jobs. ... [Read More]