China infuriated with US as it passes new laws regarding next Dalai Lama

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US Congress on 22nd December passed a new legislation supporting the Tibetans about their right to choose a successor to their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. This move has infuriated China.

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• Tibetan Prime Minister of Government-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay, appreciated the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 passed by the US Congress.
• US consulate will be established in Lhasa, the main city of Tibet.
• US asserted that Tibetans had the absolute right to choose the next Dalai Lama.
• China considers the exiled Dalai Lama as a separatist and has warned US so as not to interfere in its internal matters.
• China took hold of Tibet in 1950 to which it calls as ‘peaceful liberation’. Since then Tibet has become one of the most restricted and sensitive areas of China.
• Dalai Lama came to India in 1959 as the uprising of Tibet was suppressed down by the Chinese government. Since then Dalai Lama and his followers got settled in Dharmashala in Himanchal Pradesh in India and living in exile.
• China has started the process of recognizing the incarnation 14th Dalai Lama and with this view the move of US to pass the law is considered to be very significant.
• The legislation proposes a "regional framework on water security" and preservation of Tibetan Environment.
• The bill mentions, "The People's Republic of China has already completed water transfer programmes diverting billions of cubic metres of water yearly and has plans to divert more waters from the Tibetan plateau in China".
• China’s hydropower aspiration could affect downstream water supplies in the Tibetan region.
• The US bill has also put forward a dialogue between Chinese government and Dalai Lama.

This step has further deteriorated the relation of China with US that were also impacted over several issues including Trade, Taiwan, South China Sea, Hong Kong crisis and the most recent one, Corona pandemic.