U.S.’ China envoy plans visit to Tibet

BEIJING — The U.S. ambassador to China is making a rare visit to Tibet to meet local officials and raise concerns about restrictions on Buddhist practices and the preservation of the Himalayan region’s unique culture and language.

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing said Terry Branstad is visiting the Tibetan Autonomous Region and neighboring Qinghai province from Sunday through Saturday. Qinghai is a traditionally Tibetan region also known as Amdo and the birthplace of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled Buddhist leader.

Branstad’s visit will include official meetings along with visits to religious and cultural heritage sites, schools, and “other places of interest,” the embassy said in a statement.

The embassy called the visit “a chance for the ambassador to engage with local leaders to raise longstanding concerns.” It said Branstad would also “learn first-hand about the region’s unique cultural, religious, and ecological significance.”

China tightly restricts access to Tibet by foreigners, especially journalists and diplomats. In response to the lack of access, the U.S. Congress last year passed the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, which denies entry to the United States for anyone “substantially involved in the formulation or execution of policies related to access for foreigners to Tibetan areas.”