Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2017

Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2017

This bill requires the Department of State to submit an annual, publicly-available report to Congress that includes: (1) a list of individuals holding specified senior Chinese leadership positions at the national and subnational levels; and (2) an assessment of the level of access Chinese authorities granted U.S. diplomats, journalists, and tourists to Tibetan areas in China. Such assessment shall include:

• a comparison with the level of access granted to other areas of China,
• a comparison between the levels of access granted to Tibetan and non-Tibetan areas in relevant provinces,
• a comparison of the level of access in the reporting year and the previous year, and
• a description of the measures that impede the freedom to travel in Tibetan areas.

Listed persons shall be ineligible for a visa to enter or to be present in the United States if specified restrictions on foreign travelers entering Tibetan areas remain in effect, subject to a national interests waiver.

Expresses the sense of Congress that the State Department, when granting Chinese diplomats access to parts of the United States, should take into account the extent to which China grants U.S. diplomats access to parts of China, including the Tibetan areas.