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Washington, D.C. – This week, Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, continued to defy the Chinese Communist Party by leading a bipartisan congressional delegation to India. Rep. McCaul's leadership was featured today in the Houston Chronicle.
A lot of members of Congress talk tough about combating Chinese influence around the globe, but few are getting under the skin of communist leaders there quite like Texas Congressman Michael McCaul.
The Austin Republican has already been personally sanctioned by the Chinese government and helped trigger an intimidating war games display during a visit last year to Taiwan. He was at it again this week, leading a congressional delegation to meet with the Dalai Lama in India's Dharamshala despite vocal Chinese opposition.
China invaded the independent Himalayan country of Tibet in 1950 and has controlled the territory ever since. The Dalai Lama, the head of Tibetan Buddhism, fled into exile to India amid a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule.
McCaul, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was a key force in helping pass a resolution in Congress earlier this month calling on China to reengage in peaceful talks over Tibet. But Beijing hasn’t held dialogue with representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010.
Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, urged McCaul and other Washington officials to stop supporting Tibetan independence.
“It’s known by all that the 14th Dalai Lama is not a purely religious figure but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion,” Lin said.
The latest dustup with McCaul comes just over a year after China imposed sanctions directly against him for leading a delegation to visit Taiwan.
The sanctions haven’t stopped McCaul, as evidenced by his trip to Taiwan in May in which he gave new President Lai Ching-te a cowboy hat as a gift.
“Being sanctioned by the Chinese Communist Party is a badge of honor,” McCaul said. “Nothing will deter the United States from supporting free, democratic nations — including Taiwan.”
McCaul, first elected to Congress in 2004, represents the sprawling 10th Congressional District in Congress, which includes 13 counties stretching from Austin to Katy.
He has used his role on the Foreign Affairs Committee to also call for moving supply chains away from China and going after U.S. companies who are providing technology that is allowing China to expand its military and espionage activities.
McCaul says he sees trips like meeting with the Dalai Lama as part of his effort to deter Chinese aggression and stand up for allies needing U.S. support.
“I hope our visit served as a symbol of the U.S. government’s support for the people of Tibet and friendship between our two peoples,” McCaul said.
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