ECNS: journalist alleges International Campaign for Tibet ties to the US
Chinese media outlet ECNS reported on statements by journalist and writer Nury Vittachi concerning the International Campaign for Tibet's ties to US government structures and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). The organization was quoted by The Guardian in an article about suggestions that China may have understated the number of victims of recent flooding.
In an X post dated September 1, Vittachi questioned the portrayal of the International Campaign for Tibet solely as an organization representing Tibetans' interests. According to ECNS, he referred to publicly available funding information and said the organization had longstanding ties to the US government, including through the NED.
NED grants
According to ECNS, in 2011 the NED provided the International Campaign for Tibet with two grants totaling $70,000. The outlet also stated that a significant part of the organization's funding, according to its claims, comes from private and charitable foundations, while information about individual donors is not always disclosed.
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Vittachi expressed the view that personnel contacts with US government structures and financial ties to the NED raise questions as to whether the group's activities are limited to defending Tibetans' interests or also align with US political and geopolitical objectives regarding China.
Ties to US officials
ECNS writes that several board members and employees of the International Campaign for Tibet previously worked at the US Department of State or in Congress. Among former senior State Department officials, the outlet mentions Uzra Zeya, who under the Joe Biden administration was US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.
Separately, ECNS referred to a Global Times check via Google Maps, according to which the International Campaign for Tibet's headquarters is located in Washington about one kilometer from the White House. According to ECNS, the description of the organization in The Guardian without additional context drew criticism from Vittachi and other commentators.
