[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 361 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 361

 Recognizing the threats to freedom of the press and expression in the 
 People's Republic of China and urging the Government of the People's 
   Republic of China to take meaningful steps to improve freedom of 
   expression as fitting of a responsible international stakeholder.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 24, 2014

   Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Menendez, and Mr. Corker) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the threats to freedom of the press and expression in the 
 People's Republic of China and urging the Government of the People's 
   Republic of China to take meaningful steps to improve freedom of 
   expression as fitting of a responsible international stakeholder.

Whereas, in its 2013 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked 
        China 173rd out of 179 countries in terms of press freedoms;
Whereas China's media regulator, the State Administration of Press, Publication, 
        Radio, Film and Television, enforces a system of strict controls, 
        including an extensive licensing system and government supervision by 
        the Chinese Communist Party;
Whereas domestic radio and television broadcast journalists in China must pass a 
        government-sponsored exam that tests their basic knowledge of Marxist 
        views of news and Communist Party principles;
Whereas this state supervision of the media distorts and blocks free and open 
        coverage of key issues including Tibet, political unrest, and corruption 
        by government officials, as well as Chinese foreign policy;
Whereas China's media regulator officially bans journalists from using foreign 
        media reports without authorization and forbids news editors from 
        reporting information online that has not been verified through official 
        channels;
Whereas the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) has documented 
        several instances of reprisals against and harassment of independent 
        journalists and newspaper staff by the Government of the People's 
        Republic of China, including Chinese journalists working for foreign-
        based websites and newspapers;
Whereas the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China has noted that foreign 
        journalists continue to face challenging work conditions, visa denials 
        or delays, and various forms of harassment, and 70 percent of 
        journalists surveyed in the FCCC's 2013 annual survey stated that 
        ``conditions have worsened or stayed the same as the year before'';
Whereas, according to the CECC, authorities in China appeared to maintain or 
        enhance policies to block and filter online content, particularly 
        sensitive information about rights activists, official corruption, or 
        collective organizing;
Whereas China is the world's second largest economy and the United States second 
        largest trading partner and has been a member of the World Trade 
        Organization since 2001;
Whereas China's growing economic importance increases the need for the 
        Government of the People's Republic of China to act transparently and 
        respect international trading regulations; and
Whereas official government censorship denies the people of China, including 
        nearly 600,000,000 Internet users, their freedom of expression, 
        undermines confidence in China's safety standards, and causes 
        increasingly serious economic harm to private firms that rely on 
        unfettered access to social media as a business model: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) reaffirms the importance of freedom of the press to 
        efforts by the United States Government to support democracy, 
        mitigate conflict, and promote good governance domestically and 
        around the world;
            (2) expresses concern about the threats to freedom of the 
        press and expression in the People's Republic of China;
            (3) condemns actions taken by the Government of the 
        People's Republic of China to suppress freedom of the press, 
        including the increased harassment of Chinese and international 
        journalists through denial of visas, harassment of sources, 
        physical threats, and other methods; and
            (4) urges the President to use all appropriate instruments 
        of United States influence to support, promote, and strengthen 
        principles, practices, and values that promote the free flow of 
        information to the people of China without interference or 
        discrimination, including through the Internet and other 
        electronic media.
                                 <all>