[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1370 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1370

    Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to 
 immediately end abuses of the human rights of its citizens, to cease 
 repression of Tibetan and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for 
  the Governments of Sudan and Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 
   Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic 
                  traditions of freedom and openness.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2008

 Mr. Berman submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to 
 immediately end abuses of the human rights of its citizens, to cease 
 repression of Tibetan and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for 
  the Governments of Sudan and Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 
   Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic 
                  traditions of freedom and openness.

Whereas the relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of 
        China is one of the most important and complex in global affairs;
Whereas in the context of this complex relationship, the promotion of human 
        rights and political freedoms in the People's Republic of China is a 
        central goal of United States foreign policy towards China;
Whereas increased protection and stronger guarantees of human rights and 
        political freedoms in the People's Republic of China would improve the 
        relationship between the United States and the People's Republic of 
        China;
Whereas the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be held from August 8, 2008, through 
        August 24, 2008;
Whereas the United States should continue to advance its policy goal of improved 
        human rights and political freedoms in the People's Republic of China in 
        the context of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games;
Whereas all Olympic athletes deserve to participate in a competition that takes 
        place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and 
        openness;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China committed to protect 
        human rights, religious freedom, freedom of movement, and freedom of the 
        press as part of its conditions for being named to host the Beijing 2008 
        Olympic Games;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China issued temporary 
        regulations promising foreign media representatives covering the Beijing 
        2008 Olympic Games that they could travel freely, with the exception of 
        in the Tibet Autonomous Region, and did not require advance permission 
        before interviewing Chinese citizens during the period of January 1, 
        2007, to October 18, 2008;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has failed to abide by 
        many provisions of those regulations and has restricted foreign media 
        by--

    (1) detaining 15 journalists in 2007 for activities permitted by the 
new regulations;

    (2) refusing to allow foreign media representatives access to Tibetan 
areas of China, including those areas outside of the Tibet Autonomous 
Region covered by the pledge of free access, to report on the March 2008 
protests and the Government of the People's Republic of China's violent 
crackdown against Tibetans in those areas; and

    (3) interfering with foreign media representatives and their Chinese 
employees who were hired within China, such that 40 percent of foreign 
correspondents have reported government interference with their attempts to 
cover the news in China;

Whereas in advance of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, there are widespread 
        reports that the Government of the People's Republic of China has 
        refused to grant visas or entry to individuals because of their 
        political views, beliefs, writings, association, religion, and 
        ethnicity;
Whereas Chinese citizens and foreign visitors in China for the Beijing 2008 
        Olympic Games will not have free access to information if the Government 
        of the People's Republic of China continues to engage in blocking of 
        overseas websites and other forms of Internet filtering and censorship;
Whereas the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will not take place in an atmosphere of 
        freedom if the Government of the People's Republic of China continues to 
        limit the freedoms of speech, press, religion, movement, association, 
        and assembly of its citizens and visitors, including political 
        dissidents, protesters, petitioners, the disabled, religious activists, 
        minorities, the homeless, and other people it considers undesirable;
Whereas despite the Government of the People's Republic of China's repeated 
        pledges to the international community that the prevention and treatment 
        of HIV/AIDS are a national priority, HIV/AIDS activists and their 
        organizations remain targets for repression and harassment by Chinese 
        authorities;
Whereas in the period preceding the Olympics Games, Chinese security forces have 
        detained, threatened, and harassed HIV/AIDS and hepatitis advocates; 
        shut down conferences and meetings of Chinese and foreign HIV/AIDS 
        experts; and closed AIDS organizations;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China continues to ignore its 
        international commitments to refugee protection, as evidenced by film 
        footage recording the shooting death of a Tibetan nun by Chinese border 
        guards in October of 2006 and human rights groups' reports citing 
        increased bounties offered for turning in North Korean refugees in 2008 
        to discourage border-crossing prior to the Olympic Games;
Whereas workers in the People's Republic of China are often exposed to 
        exploitative and unsafe working conditions, including excessive exposure 
        to dangerous machinery and chemicals;
Whereas according to Amnesty International, some Chinese companies withhold 
        wages from workers for months while retaining their ID cards to prevent 
        them from securing other work and, in the city of Shenzhen alone, an 
        average of 13 factory workers a day lose a finger or an arm, and every 
        4\1/2\ days a worker dies in a workplace accident;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has reportedly 
        increased its persecution of the Falun Gong prior to the Olympic Games;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China remains unwilling to 
        invite His Holiness the Dalai Lama to China to hold direct talks on a 
        resolution on the issue of Tibet, despite calls from the international 
        community to do so before the Olympic Games;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has had discussions 
        with the representatives of the Dalai Lama, but has been unwilling to 
        engage in substantive discussions on the future of Tibet and Tibetans in 
        China;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China's continued economic 
        and political support for foreign governments that commit gross human 
        rights violations, including those of Sudan and Burma, contradicts the 
        spirit of freedom and openness of the Olympic Games; and
Whereas it is the desire of the House of Representatives that the People's 
        Republic of China take the specific actions set forth herein so that the 
        Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are successful and reflect positively on its 
        host country: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China to immediately end abuses of the human rights of its 
        citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and Uighur citizens, 
        and to end its support for the Governments of Sudan and Burma 
        to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in an 
        atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and 
        openness;
            (2) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China to immediately release all those imprisoned or detained 
        for nonviolently exercising their political and religious 
        rights and their right to free expression, such as Hu Jia, who 
        have been imprisoned, detained, or harassed for seeking to hold 
        China accountable to commitments to improve human rights 
        conditions announced when bidding to host the Olympic Games, 
        embodied in China's own laws and regulations, and in 
        international agreements;
            (3) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China to honor its commitment to freedom of the press for 
        foreign reporters in China before and during the Olympic Games, 
        to make those commitments permanent, and publicly to guarantee 
        an immediate end to the detention, harassment, and intimidation 
        of both foreign and domestic reporters;
            (4) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China to permit visitors to China, including through the 
        issuance of visas, for the period surrounding the Olympics, 
        regardless of religious background, belief, or political 
        opinion;
            (5) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China to guarantee freedom of movement within China during the 
        period surrounding the Olympics for all visitors, participants, 
        and journalists visiting China for the Olympics, and such 
        freedom of movement should include the freedom to visit Tibet, 
        Xinjiang, China's border regions, and all other areas of China 
        without restriction and without special permits or advance 
        notice;
            (6) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China to guarantee access to information by Chinese citizens 
        and foreign visitors, including full access to domestic and 
        overseas broadcasts, print media, and websites that in the past 
        may have been excluded, censored, jammed, or blocked;
            (7) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China to permit political dissidents, protesters, petitioners, 
        religious activists, minorities, the disabled, the homeless, 
        and others to maintain their homes, usual locations, jobs, 
        freedom of movement, and freedom to engage in peaceful 
        activities during the period surrounding the Olympics;
            (8) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China to end the exploitative and dangerous conditions faced by 
        Chinese workers in many state enterprises and other commercial 
        entities;
            (9) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China to begin earnest negotiations, without preconditions, 
        directly with His Holiness the Dalai Lama or his 
        representatives, on the future of Tibet to provide for a 
        mutually agreeable solution that addresses the legitimate 
        grievances of, and provides genuine autonomy for, the Tibetan 
        people;
            (10) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China to end its political, economic, and military support for 
        the Government of Sudan until the violent attacks in Darfur 
        have ceased and the Sudanese Government has allowed for the 
        full deployment of the United Nations-African Union Mission 
        peacekeeping force in Darfur;
            (11) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China to end its political, economic, and military support for 
        the Government of Burma until democracy is restored in Burma, 
        human rights abuses have ceased, and Aung San Suu Kyi and other 
        political prisoners of conscience are released; and
            (12) calls on the President to make a strong public 
        statement on China's human rights situation prior to his 
        departure to Beijing for the Olympic Games, to make a similar 
        statement in Beijing and meet with the families of jailed 
        prisoners of conscience, and to seek to visit Tibet and 
        Xinjiang while in China to attend the Olympic Games.
                                 <all>