A high-level bipartisan US Congressional delegation led by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast met Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama at his residence in Dharamsala on Wednesday, 30 September, in a visit that carried pointed symbolism — coming on the same day as US President Donald Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The delegation included Representatives James Gallagher, Jimmy Patronis, Haley Stevens, and Shri Thanedar, accompanied by Tibetan Prime Minister Penpa Tsering and Jigme Tsering of the New Delhi-based Office of the Dalai Lama.

Message from Dharamsala

A senior Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) functionary described the visit as a signal that the international community had not forgotten Tibet. 'Chinese repressive policies will not go unchallenged,' the functionary said. The CTA also launched a revised version of its vision paper, 'Securing Tibet's Future' — three years after the original was released by the 17th Kashag — outlining goals of leadership-bureaucratic alignment, resolution of the Sino-Tibet conflict, and stronger administrative capacity for the Tibetan government-in-exile.

What the Dalai Lama Told the Delegation

Voice of Tibet, in a post on social media platform X, quoted the 91-year-old Dalai Lama — a Nobel Peace laureate — as telling the delegation that Tibetans around the world placed 'great hopes' in him, as they had kept their struggle and traditions alive. The Dalai Lama has lived in self-imposed exile in India since fleeing his homeland in 1959, and Dharamsala has served as the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile for decades.

Mast on China's Transnational Repression

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mast identified China as among the central subjects of discussion and raised alarm over what he characterised as Beijing's transnational repression. 'The threat from China in terms of transnational repression is far-reaching,' Mast said, alleging that China monitors people and deploys personnel abroad to suppress activities it opposes. 'We believe in freedom and democracy for all of our people. These are fundamental differences between what China represents, what America represents, and what the people of Tibet seek,' he added.

Trump-Xi Meeting and US Stance

Mast noted that the Dalai Lama himself considered it important for Trump to meet Xi, recognising them as leaders of two of the world's most powerful countries. He was careful to clarify that such a meeting did not diminish the US delegation's opposition to repression in China, including against Tibetans and Uyghurs. The visit comes against a backdrop of continuing Washington-Beijing tensions spanning human rights, Tibet, and Xinjiang. Beijing, which labels the Dalai Lama a 'separatist', has said it is 'seriously concerned' about the US lawmakers' trip to Dharamsala.

Broader Context

The congressional visit is the latest in a series of high-profile US engagements with Tibetan leadership that have drawn sharp rebukes from Beijing. The concurrent timing with the Trump-Xi meeting adds a layer of diplomatic complexity, suggesting that bipartisan Congressional concern for Tibet persists independently of executive-level US-China diplomacy. The revised CTA vision paper signals that Tibetan exile institutions are recalibrating for a sustained, long-term push rather than expecting near-term resolution.