In the name of protecting Tibet's environmental and cultural rights, the US House of Representatives has passed a bill by an overwhelming vote of 392 to 22 that authorizes

financial and travel sanctions against Chinese officials who interfere in the process of selecting the successor to the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet. In the next step the bill will be presented to the Senate and signed into law by the president.

The bill provides that the succession or reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhist leaders which includes nomination of 15th Dalai Lama, is an exclusively religious matter that should be decided solely by the Tibetan Buddhist community. The bill will also prohibit China from opening any new consulate in the US until Beijing allows Washington to open its diplomatic station in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa.

If we recall, US Congressman McGovern said on the House floor, "The Dalai Lama should be commended for his decision to devolve political authority to elected leaders. The Tibetan exile community is also to be commended for adopting a system of self-governance with democratic institutions to choose their own leaders, including holding multiple 'free and fair' elections to select its Parliament and chief executive."

There are serious concerns that Coronavirus may be linked with Washington’s plans to preventing Beijing from installing a Dalai Lama and linking it with “Global Magnitsky Act". The Global Magnitsky Act allows the US to sanction foreign government officials implicated in human rights abuses anywhere in the world. There are reports that last month Americans had been engaged in dialogue with Tibetan leaders and Beijing.