US appoints Tibet coordinator amid tensions with China

The United States has appointed a senior human rights official as special coordinator for Tibetan issues, amid increasingly tense relations between Washington and Beijing. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday that Robert Destro, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, would assume the additional post, which has been vacant since the start of President Donald Trump’s term in 2017. Destro “will lead US efforts to promote dialogue between the People’s Republic of China and the Dalai Lama or his representatives; protect the unique religious, cultural, and linguistic identity of Tibetans; and press for their human rights to be respected,” Pompeo said in a statement. Beijing has consistently refused to deal with the US coordinator, seeing the role as an interference in its internal affairs. The appointment comes at a time when US-China relations have sunk to the lowest point in decades over a range of issues, including trade, Hong Kong, Taiwan, human rights, the South China Sea and the coronavirus. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">