Penpa Tsering Says Tibet, Human Rights Absent From Trump-China Talks

What changed

Penpa Tsering, head of Tibet’s government-in-exile, said on Nov. 12 that Tibet and human rights appeared absent from Donald Trump’s dealings with China. He expects Tibet to stay off Trump’s planned meetings with Xi Jinping at next week’s APEC summit and next month’s G20 summit in Florida.

Why it matters

That leaves Tibet outside the room while Washington focuses on trade, security and other China priorities. Tsering said this may be preferable to letting Tibet become a bargaining chip, but he also warned that treating business ties as the whole relationship risks giving Beijing more room to weaken Tibetan identity, language, religion and culture.

The United States remains the exile movement’s most important international partner, with support in Congress still broadly stable. The Central Tibetan Administration continues working with the State Department, and the Trump administration appointed a special coordinator for Tibetan issues in its second year.

But the money has moved in the opposite direction. Foreign assistance cuts halved funding for Tibet last year. Tsering hopes full funding will return later this year, though that remains uncertain. His larger complaint is political: Washington can keep formal support alive while leaving Tibet out of the highest-level conversation.