‘US Congress is united on the Tibet issue’: Nancy Pelosi

Exclusive Interview/ Nancy Pelosi, former speaker, US House of Representatives

When Tiananmen Square survivor Wu’er Kaixi met his longtime friend and former speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan three years ago, he brought her chocolates, knowing of her fondness for them from their shared history dating back to China’s 1989 crackdown on students. A strident critic of Beijing’s communist government, Pelosi calls it a thug regime that treats its own citizens in a genocidal manner. Speaking to THE WEEK from Washington, DC, the Democratic stalwart representing California’s 11th congressional district says she could not understand how a government could roll tanks over its own young people.

Pelosi says her commitment to human rights deepened after an early meeting with the Dalai Lama, which she describes as a moment that felt like being on top of the world. That encounter, she says, has shaped a lasting personal and spiritual bond. She speaks of the Dalai Lama as someone of great spirituality and values, and says that simply being in his presence is both spiritually and personally enriching. According to Pelosi, her fierce criticism of China’s treatment of Tibetans has not gone unnoticed by the Dalai Lama. She recalls how he would tell monks that they had to pray to rid her of her negative attitudes. Pelosi has led bipartisan efforts in Congress to support the Tibetan cause, which she says is one of the rare issues on which the Democrats and the Republicans are in agreement.

She has appreciated India’s longstanding support for the Tibetan cause and has thanked the Indian government for the hospitality extended to the Dalai Lama. Reflecting on the Dalai Lama’s legacy, Pelosi says, “Only one person can be His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. His legacy will live forever.” Edited excerpts from an interview:

Q. What did it mean to you visiting the Dalai Lama last year in India? Could you tell us about your conversation with him?

A. It is always an honour to visit His Holiness. This is not my first visit to Dharamsala. Every time we go, we like to bring a bipartisan group of members to strengthen the support in Congress for His Holiness. It is very bipartisan, both in the House and in the Senate. Just being in the presence of His Holiness is something that is very spiritually strengthening and personally enriching. Just the anticipation of it, the reality of it and further appreciation of it later is life-changing.

Q. You have known the Dalai Lama for decades. How has your relationship with him influenced your worldview?

A. His Holiness is a person of great spirituality and values. He has taught many of us—through his teachings, his writings and simply by being the person that he is—that we have to be more understanding of each other. He once said of me to some of his monks, “We have to pray that we rid Nancy of her negative attitudes,” after I criticised the Chinese government for how they treat people in Tibet. So, it is always a lesson learned, and the goodness of His Holiness is something from which all of us, who have been exposed to his teachings, his writings or his conversations, benefit.

Q. You once said the Dalai Lama’s legacy would live forever, while that of Chinese President Xi Jinping would be forgotten.

A. It is really important for people to know that a person of the calibre of His Holiness is truly a blessing to the world. Anybody can be a thug and treat people in a genocidal way, as far as the Uyghurs are concerned, or crush democracy in Hong Kong, or undermine the culture, the language and the religion of Tibet. Any thug can do that. But only one person can be His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. His legacy will live forever. Xi and his actions will be in the dustbin of history.

Q. What difference has the Resolve Tibet Act made for Tibetans?

A. We are very proud of the Resolve Tibet Act because it is a codification, a statutory insistence on what our policy has been. It is an enhancement of US support for Tibet, empowering the state department more strongly to counter disinformation about Tibet from the Chinese. It is important to have new legislation from time to time to counter the horrible things that emerge that are different from before. The Chinese government is engaged in disinformation about Tibet—rejecting false claims that Tibet has been part of China since ancient times—while we push for negotiations without preconditions between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama. It is a further reiteration of that. And again, to have recognition and respect for the democratically elected leaders of Tibet now that His Holiness has given up that political role. It is so clear, although it may not be clear to the Chinese government, what is right. That has never been their path of action. But every time we have a vote, it is overwhelming. Hardly anybody ever votes against what we are doing. So, it is a unifying thing for us in Congress, [for both] Democrats and Republicans. We don’t agree on a lot of things, but we do agree on Tibet. And it brings us together, whether it is legislation on the floor of the House or the Senate, whether it is in welcoming ceremonies for visitors from the Tibetan government outside of Tibet, or whether it is visits to His Holiness in Dharamsala or visits with him when he comes. It is very unifying because His Holiness is very unifying. He teaches us to respect each other.

Q. You have stood up to China since Tiananmen Square. What has shaped your long fight for human rights?

A. Human rights have always been part of my value system. Just a few months after I got to Congress, I had the privilege of meeting His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. My colleague Tom Lantos, who was head of our commission that dealt with human rights, brought me to a meeting with him. He explained what he had just recently received—the Nobel Peace Prize. His Holiness was the first person to receive it where the testimonial was not only about human rights but also about the environment, which is a human right—clean air, clean water and the rest. For me, this was like being on top of the world to meet His Holiness. I have always been interested in human rights because I respect the dignity and worth of every person. We are all God’s children, and I just don’t understand how a government, like the Chinese government, can roll over their young people in tanks and then just have governments say, “Never mind, we have got to have commerce.” That is why I have said that if we ignore human rights violations in China for commercial reasons, we lose all moral authority to fight against human rights concerns in any country.

Q. China wants to control the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation. What could be the response of the United States and the international community to Beijing’s attempts to impose its own Dalai Lama?

A. If the Chinese government were to decide on the succession, it would be like the president or the prime minister of Italy choosing the next pope. Nobody would accept that. But the Chinese know that if they were to choose and get away with that, there would be a great reduction in the authority of whoever they chose—and that is good for them. So, it has nothing to do with religion. It has everything to do with politics. It would be most shameful. So, we don’t know—God willing, His Holiness lives to be more than a hundred—but it has to be clear who is in charge of that succession, and it is not the Chinese government.

Q. The Dalai Lama has spent most of his life in India. How do you view India’s role in preserving Tibetan identity and supporting the spiritual legacy of the Dalai Lama?

A. Whenever I am in India, I always congratulate and thank the Indian government for the hospitality extended to His Holiness. The response I have received from India when I say that, under different prime ministers, has been, “We appreciate you saying that, but this is who we are.” And that is so beautiful. What is lovely is that when we go to Dharamsala, we get a lovely welcome from the children and the people there. They are flying American flags, Tibetan flags and Indian flags.

Q. With rising global conflicts and wars, how can Tibet avoid being forgotten on the world stage?

A. I don’t think it is hard to imagine anyone else in the world—well, perhaps the pope—with the moral authority that His Holiness has. Again, he wants to rid me of my negative attitudes because I criticise China for their violations of human rights and other atrocities. However, his message is the stronger one. And that’s the message of unity—not impatience, not tolerating violence. If we listen to what he has to say, we will learn that the path to peace is more conciliatory than more demanding. His moral authority is unsurpassed in the world. And part of that is because people understand that he is respectful of the dignity and worth of every person.

Q. How can we keep the Dalai Lama’s message of peace and compassion alive today?

A. One of the things we are doing is celebrating his 90th birthday. And it is a moment when people are paying attention again. I do think that it is very important for us to keep the message going in the community. When I started out with all of these, we had rock singers, we had rock and roll, we had Hollywood, we had Richard Gere—people who were attracted to helping deliver the message and keep it alive. So, we have to continue to have as much visibility. President Lincoln said public sentiment was everything; with it, you can accomplish almost anything, and without it, practically nothing. But for public sentiment to prevail, people have to know. So, we have to keep giving visibility to His Holiness’s message of peace and compassion and keep that message alive. Some of us are, shall we say, more negative in our opposition to some things. His Holiness has always been about compassion. We have to strive for that as well and make sure people know that that’s the preferred path to peace.