Senators Rosen, Curtis Urge Secretary Marco Rubio to Appoint Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues Amid Chinese Communist Party Repression

WASHINGTON, DC –Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Curtis (R-UT), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a bipartisanletterto Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the immediate appointment of a qualified Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues at the U.S. Department of State, as required by law. The senators stressed that this role is essential to protecting Tibetans’ human rights and cultural survival in the face of mounting repression by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“From weaponizing water resources to transnational repression, property seizures, involuntary resettlement, arbitrary detentions, and forced education policies aimed at degrading the preservation of Tibetan language and culture, the PRC is aggressively expanding the means through which it systematically represses the Tibetan people,”the Senators wrote.“The United States must send a strong message that we will continue standing up for the rights of the Tibetan people.”
The full text of the letter is availableHERE.
Senator Rosen has been a leading voice in pushing back against the People’s Republic of China’s coercive tactics and growing global influence. In July, the Senate Armed Services Committee approved theFY26 defense bill, which included her provision requiring a broader report on China’s military strategy in Tibet, including its use of water as a weapon. She also introducedbipartisan legislationin July with Senator Curtis to defend Taiwan’s undersea cable infrastructure from Chinese sabotage, underscoring the global risks created by Beijing’s gray zone aggression. And she backedlegislationto support Taiwan’s participation in the International Monetary Fund, countering China’s attempts to exclude the democratic nation from critical international organizations. Last Congress, Senator Rosen introducedbipartisan legislationto strengthen U.S.-Taiwan defense cooperation to counter China’s growing military expansion in the region, and she introduced and passed into law via the annual defense bill theTaiwan Cybersecurity Resiliency Act, which requires the U.S. Department of Defense to expand cybersecurity cooperation with Taiwan to help them counter cyber threats from China. During a Senate hearing,she pressed President Biden’s Director of National Intelligenceto address the threats China’s rising global reach poses to U.S. national security and democratic institutions. Together, these efforts highlight Senator Rosen’s commitment to holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable, defending human rights, and protecting U.S. and allied security interests.
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