On July 7, the US State Department announced that the Chinese Communist Party and government officials responsible for keeping Americans out of Tibet will be denied entry to the US. In his statement US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said the department restricted visas for the officials under the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act (RATA), which forbids entry to the US by Chinese authorities “substantially involved” in creating and enforcing policies that keep American citizens out of Tibet. He said “The United States seeks fair, transparent, and reciprocal treatment from the People’s Republic of China for our citizens. We have taken several steps to further this goal. Unfortunately, Beijing has continued systematically to obstruct travel to the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and other Tibetan areas by U.S. diplomats and other officials, journalists, and tourists, while PRC officials and other citizens enjoy far greater access to the United States.”
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