[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 122 (Wednesday, October 4, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1667-E1668]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


  CHINA'S HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS DISQUALIFY BEIJING FROM HOSTING THE 
                           2008 OLYMPIC GAMES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 4, 2000

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, last Thursday, I introduced House Resolution 
601, a resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives 
that the Olympic Games in the year 2008 should NOT be held in Beijing 
in the People's Republic of China. Joining me as cosponsors of this 
resolution are a distinguished bipartisan group of our colleagues who 
are leaders in the area of human rights the Gentleman from California, 
Mr. Cox; the gentleman from Virginia, Mr. Wolf; the gentleman from New 
Jersey, Mr. Smith; the gentlewoman from California, Ms. Pelosi; the 
gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Porter; and the gentleman from California, 
Mr. Rohrabacher.
  Mr. Speaker, Beijing is one of five cities currently under 
consideration by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 
games in the year 2008. Four other cities are also still in the 
running--Istanbul, Turkey; Osaka, Japan; Paris. France; and Toronto, 
Canada. The decision on the venue for the 2008 Games will be made by 
the IOC at its meeting in Moscow in July 2001. Since the decision will 
be made in only nine months, it is important that any expression of the 
views of the House of Representatives be made known quickly.
  Mr. Speaker, the human rights record of the People's Republic of 
China is abominable and it is getting worse, not better. It is 
completely inconsistent with the Olympic ideal to hold the Games in 
Beijing. As our resolution spells out in greater detail, according to 
most recent State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights 
Practices, the government of China ``continued to commit widespread and 
well-documented human rights abuses, in violation of internationally 
accepted norms.''
  I reject the argument that holding the games in Beijing will 
encourage the Chinese government to clean up its act with regard to 
human rights. The Mayor of Beijing, in connection with the city's bid 
to host the games, already informed a rally in the city that in 
preparation for the Games, the government will ``resolutely smash and 
crack down on Falun Gong and other evil cults.'' If Beijing's bid is 
accepted, there will be more--not fewer--human rights violations.

[[Page E1668]]

  Mr. Speaker, the venue of the Olympic Games has great significance. 
Hitler's Berlin Olympics of 1936 were nothing more than a propaganda 
exercise--an attempt to fool other countries into believing that Nazi 
Germany was a model world citizen. Holding the games in Beijing will 
convey a message that is inconsistent with the Olympic ideal.
  Clearly the venue for the Olympic Games is a decision that will be 
made by the IOC, but clearly this is an issue on which the U.S. 
Congress can and should express its opinion. If we do not to express 
our views in the face of China's egregious human rights violations, we 
would be derelict in our responsibilities.
  In 1993, as the IOC was considering the venue for the 2000 Olympic 
Games, Mr. Speaker, I introduced a resolution which expressed the sense 
of the House of Representatives that the Olympics in the year 2000 
should not be held in Beijing or elsewhere in the People's Republic of 
China. That resolution was approved by an overwhelming vote in the 
House of Representatives on July 26, 1993. A Short while later, the IOC 
voted to accept the bid of Sydney, Australia, as host to the 2000 
games.
  Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that we continue to call the attention 
of the world community to the serious violation of human rights by the 
government of the People's Republic of China. Holding the games in 
Beijing, if human rights violations continue unabated, would be so 
contrary to the spirit of the Olympics that the Beijing games would go 
down in history in much the same terms as Hitler's 1936 games. This is 
an issue on which this House should express its view.
  Mr. Speaker, I submit the full text of House Resolution 601 to be 
printed in the Record. The text of the resolution spells out in greater 
detail the concerns we have regarding China's record on human rights 
and its inconsistency with the Olympic ideal.


                          House Resolution 601

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that without 
improvement in human rights the Olympic Games in the year 2008 should 
not be held in Beijing in the Peoples Republic of China.
  Whereas the International Olympic Committee is now in the process of 
determining the venue of the Olympic Games in the year 2008 and is 
scheduled to make that decision at the IOC meeting scheduled for Moscow 
in July 2001;
  Whereas the city of Beijing has made a proposal to the International 
Olympic Committee that the summer Olympic Games in the year 2008 be 
held in Beijing;
  Whereas the Olympic Charter states that ``Olympism'' and the Olympic 
ideal seek to foster ``respect for universal fundamental ethical 
principles'';
  Whereas the United Nations General Assembly in resolution 48/11 
adopted on October 25, 1993, recognized ``that the Olympic goal of the 
Olympic Movement is to build a peaceful and better world by educating 
the youth of the world through sport, practiced without discrimination 
of any kind and the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual 
understanding, promoted by friendship, solidarity and fair play;
  Whereas United National General Assembly in resolution 50/13 of 
November 7, 1995, stressed ``the importance of the principles of the 
Olympic charter, according to which any form of discrimination with 
regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, 
sex or otherwise is incompatible with the Olympic Movement;
  Whereas the State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights 
Practices for 1999 reports that
  (1) ``The [Chinese] Government continued to commit widespread and 
well-documented human rights abuses, in violation of internationally 
accepted norms.''
  (2) ``Abuses included instances of extrajudicial killings, torture 
and mistreatment of prisoners, forced confessions, arbitrary arrest and 
detention, lengthy incommunicado detention, and denial of due 
process.''
  (3) ``The Government infringed on citizens' privacy rights.''
  (4) ``The Government tightened restrictions on freedom of speech and 
of the press, and increased controls on the Internet; self-censorship 
by journalists also increased.''
  (5) ``The Government severely restricted freedom of assembly and 
continued to restrict freedom of association.''
  (6) ``The Government continued to restrict freedom of religion and 
intensified controls on some unregistered churches.''
  (7) ``The Government continued to restrict freedom of movement.''
  (8)The Government does not permit independent domestic 
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to monitor publicly human rights 
conditions.''
  (9) ``Violence against women, including coercive family planning 
practices--which sometimes include forced abortion and forced 
sterilization; prostitution; discrimination against women; trafficking 
in women and children; abuse of children; and discrimination against 
the disabled and minorities are all problems.''
  (10) ``The Government continued to restrict tightly worker rights, 
and forced labor in prison facilities remains a serious problem. Child 
labor persists.''
  (11) ``Particularly serious human rights abuses persisted in some 
minority area, especially in Tibet and Xinjiang, where restrictions on 
religion and other fundamental freedoms intensified.'';
  Whereas, according to press reports, Liu Qi, the Mayor of Beijing, 
told a rally called to promote Beijing's bid to host the Olympic Games 
that the government would ``resolutely smash and crack down on Falun 
Gong and other evil cults'' in preparation for hosting the games;
  Whereas, the egregious human rights abuses committed by the 
Government of China are inconsistent with the Olympic ideal; and
  Whereas on July 26, 1993, the House of Representatives adopted House 
Resolution 188 in the 103rd Congress which expressed the sense of the 
House of Representatives that the Olympics in the year 2000 should not 
be held in Beijing or elsewhere in the People's Republic of China;
  Now, therefore, be it Resolved that the House of Representatives
  (1) welcomes the participation of Chinese athletes in the Olympic 
Games, notes the outstanding competitive effort of Chinese athletes in 
the games in Sydney, Australia, where Chinese athletes placed third in 
the number of medals earned, and in Atlanta, Georgia, and Barcelona, 
Spain, where Chinese athletes also placed third in the number of medals 
earned, and wholeheartedly welcomes the support of the Chinese people 
for the Olympic Games;
  (2) acknowledges that the Chinese people and thousands of Chinese 
Olympic athletes have shown their strong support for the Olympic spirit 
through their commitment to excellence, energy, skill, sportsmanship, 
and good will towards their fellow athletes;
  (3) expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
Olympic Games in the year 2008 should not be held in Beijing in the 
People's Republic of China because the deplorable human rights record 
of the People's Republic of China violates international human rights 
standards which that Government has pledged to uphold and its actions 
are inconsistent with the Olympic ideal;
  (4) expresses the view that the House looks forward to the day when 
the House can support a proposal of the People's Republic of China to 
host the Olympic Games at a time when the Chinese people openly enjoy 
the tolerance and freedoms espoused by the high ideals of the Olympic 
tradition; and
  (5) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to transmit a 
copy of this resolution to the Chairman of the International Olympic 
Committee and to the United States representative to the International 
Olympic Committee with the request that it be circulated to all members 
of the committee.

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