[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 271 Reported in Senate (RS)]






                                                       Calendar No. 518
106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 271

Regarding the human rights situation in the People's Republic of China.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 9, 2000

 Mr. Wellstone (for himself, Mr. Torricelli, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Feingold,  
Mr. Brownback, Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. Mack, Mr. Baucus, and Mr. L. Chafee) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

                             April 20, 2000

Reported under authority of the order of the Senate of April 13, 2000, 
    by Mr. Helms, without amendment and an amendment to the preamble
      [Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Regarding the human rights situation in the People's Republic of China.

<DELETED>Whereas the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human 
        Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, provides a forum for discussing human 
        rights and expressing international support for improved human rights 
        performance;
Whereas in 1999, the Senate passed Senate Resolution 45 urging the United States 
        to introduce and make all necessary efforts to pass a resolution 
        condemning human rights practices of the Government of the People's 
        Republic of China at the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission 
        on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland;
Whereas the United States thereafter introduced a resolution condemning human 
        rights practices of the Government of the People's Republic of China at 
        the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 
        Geneva, Switzerland;
Whereas this resolution was kept off the agenda of the full Commission by a 
        ``no-action'' motion of the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China, had no cosponsors, and received little support from European and 
        other industrialized nations and did not pass;
Whereas, according to the Department of State and international human rights 
        organizations, the human rights record of the Government of the People's 
        Republic of China has deteriorated sharply over the past year and 
        authorities of the People's Republic of China continue to commit 
        widespread and well-documented human rights abuses in China;
Whereas such abuses stem from an intolerance of dissent and fear of civil unrest 
        on the part of authorities in the People's Republic of China and from a 
        failure to adequately enforce laws in the People's Republic of China 
        that protect basic freedoms;
Whereas such abuses violate internationally accepted norms of conduct enshrined 
        by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has signed the International Covenant on 
        Civil and Political Rights, but has yet to take the necessary steps to 
        make it legally binding;
Whereas authorities in the People's Republic of China have recently escalated 
        efforts to extinguish expressions of protest or criticism and have 
        detained scores of citizens associated with attempts to organize a legal 
        democratic opposition, as well as religious leaders, academics, and 
        members of minority groups;
Whereas these efforts underscore that the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China continues to commit serious human rights abuses that must be 
        condemned; and
Whereas the United States will again introduce a resolution condemning human 
        rights practices of the Government of the People's Republic of China at 
        the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 
        Geneva, Switzerland, on March 20, 2000: Now, therefore, be it
</DELETED>Whereas the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human 
        Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, provides a forum for discussing human 
        rights and expressing international support for improved human rights 
        performance;
Whereas in 1999, the Senate passed Senate Resolution 45 urging the United States 
        to introduce and make all necessary efforts to pass a resolution 
        condemning human rights practices of the Government of the People's 
        Republic of China at the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission 
        on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland;
Whereas the United States thereafter introduced a resolution condemning human 
        rights practices of the Government of the People's Republic of China at 
        the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 
        Geneva, Switzerland;
Whereas this resolution was kept off the agenda of the full Commission by a 
        ``no-action'' motion of the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China, had one cosponsor, and received little support from European and 
        other industrialized nations and did not pass;
Whereas, according to the Department of State and international human rights 
        organizations, the human rights record of the Government of the People's 
        Republic of China has deteriorated markedly over the past year and 
        authorities of the People's Republic of China continue to commit 
        widespread and well-documented human rights abuses in China;
Whereas such abuses stem from an intolerance of dissent on the part of 
        authorities in the People's Republic of China and from a failure to 
        adequately enforce laws in the People's Republic of China that guarantee 
        basic freedoms;
Whereas such abuses violate internationally accepted norms of conduct enshrined 
        by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has signed the International Covenant on 
        Civil and Political Rights, but has yet to take the necessary steps to 
        make it legally binding;
Whereas authorities in the People's Republic of China have recently escalated 
        efforts to extinguish expressions of protest or criticism and have 
        detained scores of citizens associated with attempts to organize a legal 
        democratic opposition, as well as religious leaders, academics, and 
        members of minority groups;
Whereas these efforts underscore that the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China continues to commit serious human rights abuses that must be 
        condemned and censured; and
Whereas the United States again introduced a resolution expressing its concern 
        about the human rights practices of the Government of the People's 
        Republic of China at the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission 
        on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That (a) the Senate supports the decision of the 
Administration to introduce a resolution at the 56th Session of the 
United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, calling 
upon the People's Republic of China to end its human rights abuses.
    (b) It is the sense of the Senate that the United States should 
make every effort necessary to pass such a resolution, including 
through initiating high level contact between the Administration and 
representatives of the European Union and other governments, and 
ensuring that the resolution be placed on the full United Nations Human 
Rights Commission's agenda by aggressively enlisting support for the 
resolution and soliciting cosponsorship of it by other governments.
                                                       Calendar No. 518

106th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                              S. RES. 271

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

Regarding the human rights situation in the People's Republic of China.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             April 20, 2000

      Reported without amendment and an amendment to the preamble