[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 356 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 356
Urging the European Union and its member states to maintain the arms
embargo against the People's Republic of China.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 18, 2011
Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. Meeks, Mr.
Royce, Mr. McCotter, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Chabot, Ms. Jackson Lee of
Texas, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, and Mr.
Ryan of Ohio) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Urging the European Union and its member states to maintain the arms
embargo against the People's Republic of China.
Whereas, on June 4, 1989, the People's Republic of China carried out a brutal
and indiscriminate assault on thousands of peaceful and unarmed
demonstrators and bystanders in and around Tiananmen Square by units of
the People's Liberation Army, which resulted in an untold number of
deaths and several thousand injuries;
Whereas, on June 26, 1989, in Madrid, the European Council issued a declaration
that strongly condemned ``the brutal repression taking place in China''
and introduced an embargo on trade in arms with the People's Republic of
China;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has yet to acknowledge or make amends for
the 1989 massacre of the peaceful, pro-democracy demonstrators at
Tiananmen Square;
Whereas the citizens of the People's Republic of China still do not have the
right to peacefully change their government and many who openly express
dissenting political views are harassed, detained, or imprisoned;
Whereas for several years, the People's Republic of China has also been engaged
in an extensive military buildup in its air, naval, land, and outer
space systems, including the deployment of approximately 1,600 short and
medium range ballistic missiles near the Taiwan Strait according to the
Department of Defense's Report on the Military Power of the People's
Republic of China for Fiscal Year 2009;
Whereas the military buildup by the People's Republic of China and the strategic
doctrines that underpin such actions remain shrouded in secrecy and
imply challenges for strategic deterrence between the United States and
China, United States Armed Forces deployed in the region, and interests
related to numerous friends and allies in the region, particularly
Taiwan and Japan, and regional stability more broadly;
Whereas the transfer of armaments and related military technology to the
People's Republic of China by member states of the European Union (EU)
threatens to encourage the People's Republic of China to seek to
continue its attempts to settle long-standing territorial disputes in
the region by the threat or use of military force;
Whereas in order to assist EU member-states to close the gap in defense
capabilities with the United States and to enhance the interoperability
of the armed forces of EU member states and United States Armed Forces,
the United States has expanded transatlantic armament and defense
industry cooperation involving increasingly sophisticated levels of
sensitive United States military technology, which becomes subject to
increased risk of diversion to the People's Republic of China should the
arms embargo be lifted and armament cooperation increase between China
and the EU;
Whereas the European Parliament previously reaffirmed support for the arms
embargo against the People's Republic of China, stating explicitly that
``Chinese and other arms exporters are fueling armed conflicts in Africa
. . . China is responsible for significant arms transfers to conflict-
ridden countries, even in violation of UN embargoes in the cases of
Darfur, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo'';
Whereas the People's Republic of China continues to export gas and oil, as well
as defense-related material to the Iranian regime, despite international
concern over Iran's nuclear programs;
Whereas in January 2010, Spanish Ambassador to China, Carlos Blasco Villa,
stated that Spain hoped to ``deepen discussions [in Europe] on lifting
the ban,'' and added that Spain ``seeks to eliminate any inconvenience
in relationships between the EU and China'';
Whereas, on December 17, 2010, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton
recommended lifting the EU arms embargo on China in her formal foreign
policy strategy paper to the European Summit, in which she stated, ``The
current arms embargo is a major impediment for developing stronger EU-
China co-operation on foreign policy and security matters. The EU should
assess its practical implication and design a way forward.'';
Whereas, during his May 2011 visit to China, European Council President Herman
Van Rompuy stated, ``China made a significant contribution to
maintaining the stability of the euro zone and promoting the resurgence
of the European economy. Europe shows gratitude for this . . . I come
here not just for what we can do for our bilateral relations but also
for what we can do together on a global level.''; and
Whereas the United States Department of State's 2010 Country Report on Human
Rights for China stated that, ``A negative trend in key areas of the
country's human rights record continued . . . . Principal human rights
problems during the year included: extrajudicial killings . . . enforced
disappearance and incommunicado detention . . . torture and coerced
confessions of prisoners . . . detention and harassment of journalists
and dissidents . . . political control of courts and judges . . .
restrictions on freedoms to assemble, practice religion, and travel . .
. pressure on other countries to forcibly return citizens to China . . .
a coercive birth limitation policy, which in some cases resulted in
forced abortion or forced sterilization . . . trafficking in persons . .
. and the use of forced labor, including prison labor . . . .'': Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) reaffirms the United States arms embargo on the
People's Republic of China and related findings and statements
of policy set forth in title IX of the Foreign Relations
Authorization Act (Public Law 101-246);
(2) calls upon the President of the United States,
consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, to clarify his policy
towards Taiwan and to publically reaffirm United States support
for its allies in the region;
(3) expresses its concerns over the continuing harassment,
repression, and detention of political dissidents, religious,
and ethnic minorities inside the People's Republic of China;
(4) reasserts that it should be the policy of the United
States to oppose any diminution or termination of the European
Union arms embargo against the People's Republic of China that
was established by the Declaration of the European Council of
June 26, 1989;
(5) condemns the threats of military force by China against
its neighbors to resolve longstanding conflicts; and
(6) urges the President of the United States to take
appropriate diplomatic and other measures necessary to convince
European Union member-states, individually and collectively, to
continue to observe this embargo in principle and in practice.
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