Historic! Head of Tibetan Govt in Exile at the White House

In a way, the visit of Dr Lobsang Sangay, the head of the Central Tibetan Administration, to the White House marks an acknowledgement of both the democratic system of the Central Tibetan Administration and its political head.  

New Delhi: For the first time in six decades, the Tibetan government in exile was welcomed at the White House - a move that is bound to irk Beijing.

This is the first time in the last 6 decades that the head of the Central Tibetan Administration has been allowed entry to the US State Department and White House.

In a way, the visit of Dr Lobsang Sangay, the head of the Central Tibetan Administration, to the White House marks an acknowledgement of both the democratic system of the Central Tibetan Administration and its political head.  

Dr Sangay had last month met Robert Destro who is the Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. 

The Chinese foreign ministry had then termed Destro's appointment as 'political manipulation' and designed to 'interfere in China's internal affairs and destabilize Tibet'.

According to the Central Tibetan Administration,  it took nine long years for the US State Department to realize the strategic importance of having the CTA President hold formal meetings in the State Department similar to leaders of independent countries. 

"From 2011 to 2018, Dr. Sangay had informally met with State Department officials at restaurants, where the existence of the meetings were kept undisclosed and photographs were not allowed. However, in the past year, State Department officials have become increasingly amenable to publishing photo opportunities, and in 2019, a few State Department officials tweeted supportive comments about their meetings with Dr Sangay."