Buddhist faith community alone. (8) The Government of the People’s Republic of China has interfered in the process of recognizing a successor or reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhist leaders, including in 1995 by arbitrarily detaining Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, a 6-year-old boy who was identified as the 11th Panchen Lama, and purporting to install its own candidate as the Panchen Lama. (9) During his confirmation hearings to be Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo testified to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, If confirmed, I will press the Chinese government to respect the legitimacy of Tibetan Buddhists’ religious practices. This includes the decisions of Tibetan Buddhists in selecting, educating, and venerating the lamas who lead the faith, such as the Dalai Lama. . (10) The Department of State’s Report on International Religious Freedom for 2017 reported on policies and efforts of the Government of the People’s Republic of China to exert control over the selection of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders, including reincarnate lamas, and stated that U.S. officials underscored that decisions on the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama should be made solely by faith leaders . (11) In July 2015, Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Sarah Sewall, serving concurrently as United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, testified to Congress that the basic and universally recognized right of religious freedom demands that any decision on the next Dalai Lama be reserved to the current Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhist leaders, and the Tibetan people . (12) On June 8, 2015, the United States House of Representatives unanimously approved House Resolution 337 (114th Congress) which calls on the United States Government to underscore that government interference in the Tibetan reincarnation process is a violation of the internationally recognized right to religious freedom, and that matters related to reincarnations in Tibetan Buddhism are of keen interest to Tibetan Buddhist