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SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Mitt Romney met with a Tibetan official and Hollywood actor Richard Gere "to discuss efforts to support basic rights in Tibet" on Tuesday.
"Not only does the (Chinese Communist Party) carry out gross human rights abuses on the Tibetan people, but they aim to erase Tibetan culture completely," Romney, a Utah Republican, said.
Gere is the chairman of the International Campaign for Tibet and has been advocating for Tibet's independence from China. He considers Dalai Lama, the Buddhist leader, a teacher who inspired the actor to become a political activist.
Beijing governs Tibet but this rule has been disputed by Tibetan locals and advocacy groups that include the likes of Gere.
The "Pretty Woman" actor visited Capitol Hill in March earlier this year. He met with congressional leaders and lobbied support for the Resolve Tibet Act.
"I see this as a moment of possibility," Gere said at the time, "and I want us all to grab this now.
"This bill that we've been talking about is a part of that. And it's setting the record straight. It's setting history straight. It's setting our own motivation and making it as pure as it possibly can be that we are there for the Tibetan people."
Romney also met with Central Tibetan Administration Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the leader of the Tibetan government in exile.
Gere and Tsering met with other Congressional leaders and the U.S. State Department on Tuesday.
Romney has previously supported bills, like a measure in the bipartisan Strategic Competition Act of 2021 that says Tibetan Buddhists should have the religious freedom to choose the next Dalai Lama, instead of China making the decision.
