Commentary: U.S. bill on Tibet confuses facts

Source: Xinhua | 03-12-2009 08:12

BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a resolution on Tibet that is not only a gross interference in China's domestic affairs but also confuses the facts of the issue.

The bill disregards the history and reality of the Chinese autonomous region by trying to justify Tibet's dark ages, glorify the treacherous Dalai Lama and baselessly criticize China's religious policy. To sum up, the bill is poles apart from the truth.

The lawmakers who wrote and supported the bill should know that Tibet's democratic reforms bear great similarities to events that have happened on American soil.

Tibet's democratic reforms 50 years ago abolished feudal serfdom, marking huge progress in the pursuit of human rights much like the end of slavery did in the United States after the Civil War.

The lawmakers who understand U.S. history well should know that history recognizes Abraham Lincoln, who safeguarded U.S. unity, as a great president. But how would they feel if somebody labeled the Union forces' victory as an "invasion" and "occupation" of the South and demanded that Washington stop its "repression" of the southern people?