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Commentary: US bill on Tibet confuses facts

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-12 09:12

BEIJING -- The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a resolution on Tibet that is not only a gross interference in China's domestic affairs but also confuses the facts of the issue.

The bill disregards the history and reality of the Chinese autonomous region by trying to justify Tibet's dark ages, glorify the treacherous Dalai Lama and baselessly criticize China's religious policy. To sum up, the bill is poles apart from the truth.

Full coverage:  Tibet in 50 Years Related readings:  Tibet our internal affair, US told  Tibet 'has seen 50 years of freedom'  'Media must be objective about Tibet'

The lawmakers who wrote and supported the bill should know that Tibet's democratic reforms bear great similarities to events that have happened on American soil.

Tibet's democratic reforms 50 years ago abolished feudal serfdom, marking huge progress in the pursuit of human rights much like the end of slavery did in the United States after the Civil War.

The lawmakers who understand US history well should know that history recognizes Abraham Lincoln, who safeguarded US unity, as a great president. But how would they feel if somebody labeled the Union forces' victory as an "invasion" and "occupation" of the South and demanded that Washington stop its "repression" of the southern people?

The lawmakers who supported the Tibet resolution boasted of their "moral standard" in human rights and said they "speak out from a sense of justice." The measure they adopted, however, serves only to smear human rights progress in Tibet over the past 50 years.

If those House members really want to "speak for" human rights in Tibet, they should observe the striking similarities between the achievements in Tibet since the end of serfdom and those in the United States after the abolishment of slavery.

The United States has enjoyed economic and social progress since abolishing slavery, while Tibet has also ushered in a new era of development and prosperity since 1959.

People in Tibet have seen their lives profoundly improved after50 years of development. They are now fully executing their rights endowed by the Chinese Constitution and the law on autonomy in ethnic regions.

The region also has witnessed comprehensive progress in social life, as well as thriving religious and cultural development.

At the moment when the world is suffering from the contagious financial crisis, most Americans understand that all countries in the world, especially China and the United States should enhance their cooperation to tide over the current difficulties.

However, the House members' approval of the bill has violated the basic principles guiding international relations and also poisoned the atmosphere for cooperation between the two countries.

Members of the US Congress should respect the facts, root out their bias on China and show their morality and responsibility by not damaging US-China relations.