[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 89 (Monday, June 25, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H3481-H3487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CALLING ON CHINA TO RELEASE LI SHAOMIN AND ALL OTHER AMERICAN SCHOLARS 
              OF CHINESE ANCESTRY BEING HELD IN DETENTION

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 160) calling on the Government of 
the People's Republic of China to immediately and unconditionally 
release Li Shaomin and all other American scholars of Chinese ancestry 
being held in detention, calling on the President of the United States 
to continue working on behalf of Li Shaomin and the other detained 
scholars for their release, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

[[Page H3482]]

                              H. Res. 160

       Whereas in recent months the Government of the People's 
     Republic of China has arrested and detained several scholars 
     and intellectuals of Chinese ancestry with ties to the United 
     States, including at least 2 United States citizens and 3 
     permanent residents of the United States;
       Whereas according to the Department of State's 2000 Country 
     Reports on Human Rights Practices in China, and international 
     human rights organizations, the Government of the People's 
     Republic of China ``has continued to commit widespread and 
     well-documented human rights abuses, in violation of 
     internationally accepted norms'';
       Whereas the harassment, arbitrary arrest, detention, and 
     filing of criminal charges against scholars and intellectuals 
     has created a chilling effect on the freedom of expression, 
     in contravention of internationally accepted norms, including 
     the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 
     which the People's Republic of China signed in October 1998;
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     frequently uses torture and other human rights violations to 
     produce coerced ``confessions'' from detainees;
       Whereas the Department of State's 2000 Country Reports on 
     Human Rights Practices in China has extensively documented 
     that human rights abuses in the People's Republic of China 
     ``included instances of extrajudicial killings, the use of 
     torture, forced confessions, arbitrary arrest and detention, 
     the mistreatment of prisoners, lengthy incommunicado 
     detention, and denial of due process'', and also found that 
     ``[p]olice and prosecutorial officials often ignore the due 
     process provisions of the law and of the Constitution . . . 
     [f]or example, police and prosecutors can subject prisoners 
     to severe psychological pressure to confess, and coerced 
     confessions frequently are introduced as evidence'';
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     has reported that some of the scholar detainees have 
     ``confessed'' to their ``crimes'' of ``spying'', but it has 
     yet to produce any evidence of spying, and has refused to 
     permit the detainees to confer with their families or 
     lawyers;
       Whereas the Department of State's 2000 Country Reports on 
     Human Rights Practices in China also found that ``police 
     continue to hold individuals without granting access to 
     family or a lawyer, and trials continue to be conducted in 
     secret'';
       Whereas Dr. Li Shaomin is a United States citizen and 
     scholar who has been detained by the Government of the 
     People's Republic of China for more than 100 days, and was 
     formally charged with spying for Taiwan on May 15, 2001;
       Whereas Dr. Li Shaomin has been deprived of his basic human 
     rights by arbitrary arrest and detention, and has not been 
     allowed to contact his wife and child (both United States 
     citizens), or his lawyer;
       Whereas Dr. Gao Zhan is a permanent resident of the United 
     States and scholar who has been detained by the Government of 
     the People's Republic of China for more than 114 days, and 
     was formally charged with ``accepting money from a foreign 
     intelligence agency'' on April 4, 2001;
       Whereas Dr. Gao Zhan has been deprived of her basic human 
     rights by arbitrary arrest and detention, and has not been 
     allowed to contact her husband and child (both United States 
     citizens), her lawyer, or Department of State consular 
     personnel in China;
       Whereas Wu Jianmin is a United States citizen and author 
     who has been detained by the Government of the People's 
     Republic of China, has been deprived of his basic human 
     rights by arbitrary arrest and detention, has been denied 
     access to lawyers and family members, and has yet to be 
     formally charged with any crimes;
       Whereas Qin Guangguang is a permanent resident of the 
     United States and researcher who has been detained by the 
     Government of the People's Republic of China on suspicions of 
     ``leaking state secrets'', has been deprived of his basic 
     human rights by arbitrary arrest and detention, has been 
     denied access to lawyers and family members, and has yet to 
     be formally charged with any crimes;
       Whereas Teng Chunyan is a permanent resident of the United 
     States, Falun Gong practitioner, and researcher who has been 
     sentenced to three years in prison for spying by the 
     Government of the People's Republic of China, apparently for 
     conducting research which documented violations of the human 
     rights of Falun Gong adherents in China, has been deprived of 
     her basic human rights by being placed on trial in secret, 
     and her appeal to the Beijing Higher People's Court was 
     denied on May 11, 2001;
       Whereas Liu Yaping is a permanent resident of the United 
     States and a businessman who was arrested and detained in 
     Inner Mongolia in March 2001 by the Government of the 
     People's Republic of China, has been deprived of his basic 
     human rights by being denied any access to family members, by 
     being denied regular access to lawyers, is reported to be 
     suffering from severe health problems, and has yet to be 
     formally charged with any crimes;
       Whereas because there is documented evidence that the 
     Government of the People's Republic of China uses torture to 
     coerce confessions from suspects, and because the Government 
     has thus far presented no evidence to support its claims that 
     the detained scholars and intellectuals are spies, and 
     because spying is vaguely defined under Chinese law, there is 
     reason to believe that the ``confessions'' of Dr. Li Shaomin 
     and Dr. Gao Zhan may have been coerced; and
       Whereas the arbitrary imprisonment of United States 
     citizens and residents by the Government of the People's 
     Republic of China, and the continuing violations of their 
     fundamental human rights, demands an immediate and forceful 
     response by Congress and the President of the United States: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) the House of Representatives--
       (A) condemns and deplores the continued detention of Li 
     Shaomin, Gao Zhan, Wu Jianmin, Qin Guangguang, Teng Chunyan, 
     and other scholars detained on false charges by the 
     Government of the People's Republic of China, and calls for 
     their immediate and unconditional release;
       (B) condemns and deplores the lack of due process afforded 
     to these detainees, and the probable coercion of confessions 
     from some of them;
       (C) condemns and deplores the ongoing and systematic 
     pattern of human rights violations by the Government of the 
     People's Republic of China, of which the unjust detentions of 
     Li Shaomin, Gao Zhan, Wu Jianmin, Qin Guangguang, and Teng 
     Chunyan, are only important examples;
       (D) strongly urges the Government of the People's Republic 
     of China to consider carefully the implications to the 
     broader United States-Chinese relationship of detaining and 
     coercing confessions from United States citizens and 
     permanent residents on unsubstantiated spying charges or 
     suspicions;
       (E) urges the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     to consider releasing Liu Yaping on medical parole, as 
     provided for under Chinese law; and
       (F) believes that human rights violations inflicted on 
     United States citizens and residents by the Government of the 
     People's Republic of China will reduce opportunities for 
     United States-Chinese cooperation on a wide range of issues; 
     and
       (2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
     the President--
       (A) should make the immediate release of Li Shaomin, Gao 
     Zhan, Wu Jianmin, Qin Guangguang, and Teng Chunyan a top 
     priority of United States foreign policy with the Government 
     of the People's Republic of China;
       (B) should continue to make every effort to assist Li 
     Shaomin, Gao Zhan, Wu Jianmin, Qin Guangguang, and Teng 
     Chunyan, and their families, while discussions of their 
     release are ongoing;
       (C) should make it clear to the Government of the People's 
     Republic of China, that the detention of United States 
     citizens and residents, and the infliction of human rights 
     violations upon United States citizens and residents, is not 
     in the interests of the Government of the People's Republic 
     of China because it will reduce opportunities for United 
     States-Chinese cooperation on other matters; and
       (D) should immediately send a special, high ranking 
     representative to the Government of the People's Republic of 
     China to reiterate the deep concern of the United States 
     regarding the continued imprisonment of Li Shaomin, Gao Zhan, 
     Wu Jianmin, Qin Guangguang, Teng Chunyan, and Liu Yaping, and 
     to discuss their legal status and immediate humanitarian 
     needs.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, in an emotional appeal before the House Committee on 
International Relations last Tuesday, the wife of Dr. Li Shaomin and 
the husband of Dr. Gao Zhan, two highly respected scholars held hostage 
by the People's Republic of China, asked Congress and the President to 
leave no stone unturned in securing the release of their loved ones.
  Also at that hearing, Mike Jendrzejczyk of Human Rights Watch made a 
number of incisive comments and said, ``The detentions of respected 
China scholars have sent a shock wave through the international 
academic community. Many researchers are increasingly worried about the 
risks of working in China, and have taken extraordinary steps to speak 
out.''
  He noted on April 17, more than 400 leading scholars from 14 
countries, as well as Taiwan and Hong Kong, all of them who work in the 
field of China studies, sent a petition to President Jiang Zemin. The 
authors of the letter noted that the International Covenant on Civil 
and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social 
and Cultural Rights, the latter, which was ratified last February, 
makes it very clear that holding academics and scholars are precluded 
by international law. Movever, China's intolerance to free expression 
will likely

[[Page H3483]]

deter other academics from pursuing research in the People's Republic 
of China. The respected human rights leader bottom-lines it and says, 
``The detentions raise serious questions about the rule of law in China 
and whether it exists.''
  Indeed, Madam Speaker, at least six Chinese American scholars and 
intellectuals are today being unjustly detained. They are being held 
hostage by the PRC, an outrage that demands immediate relief. H. Res. 
160, which I introduced on June 8 and now has approximately 40 
cosponsors, calls for the immediate and unconditional release of these 
scholars and academics.
  These include: Dr. Li Shaomin, who is a United States citizen and 
scholar who has been detained by the PRC for 120 days and counting. He 
has been deprived of his basic human rights by arbitrary arrest, 
detention and indictment, and has not been allowed to contact his wife 
and child, both of whom are American citizens as well, nor has he been 
in contact with his lawyer.
  Dr. Gao Zhan is a permanent resident of the United States and is a 
member of the faculty of American University. She has been detained by 
the People's Republic of China for 134 days and counting.
  Mr. Wu Jianmin is an American citizen and author who has been 
detained by China and deprived of his basic human rights by arbitrary 
arrest and detention.
  Qin Guangguang is a permanent resident of the United States and a 
researcher who has been detained by China on suspicions of leaking 
state secrets. His human rights have been violated by arbitrary arrest 
and detention.
  Ms. Teng Chunyan is a permanent resident of the United States, a 
researcher and a Falun Gong practitioner. She has been sentenced to 3 
years in prison for spying by the PRC. The apparent reason for her 
sentence is her research showing that the PRC is violating the human 
rights of Falun Gong adherents in China. If that is true, Madam 
Speaker, the U.S. State Department is guilty of that charge. This 
country's Report on Human Rights Practice, which catalogs the myriad of 
human rights abuses by China, also points out that at least 100 Falun 
Gong were tortured to death last year as part of their crackdown.
  Then there is Mr. Liu Yaping. He is a permanent resident of the 
United States and a businessman. He was arrested in Inner Mongolia in 
March 2001. He has been diagnosed with severe health problems while in 
detention, including a brain aneurysm which may rupture. The reason for 
his arbitrary arrest and detention are unclear. He has had no contact 
with his family, and has not had regular access to his lawyers.
  Madam Speaker, at a hearing of the Committee on International 
Relations, noting that both she and her husband, Li Shaomin, are 
American citizens, Liu Yingli testified, ``If China's Ministry of State 
Security can get away with imprisoning my husband now, it may well 
detain more academics in China in the future, regardless of their skin 
color, or country of origin.''
  Despite the fact that Dr. Li is not a political activist or 
dissident, but is a teacher who worked for AT&T in New Jersey for 8 
years, Liu Yingli said, ``This case is not just about the freedom of 
one man, but about academic freedom.'' Again, Dr. Li has been held 
hostage for 120 days.
  Liu Yingli also testified, ``It has been nearly 4 months since Li 
Shaomin's detention on February 25: 4 months of grief and pain, 4 
months of worry and fear. But we are American citizens. We should not 
have to live with such fears.''
  She said, ``This painful experience has not spared our daughter, who 
is only 9, and our parents, who are more than 70 years old. Our family 
has spent sleepless nights and restless days waiting for news of 
Shaomin. Our daughter, Diana, has asked repeatedly when Daddy will come 
home.''

                              {time}  1530

  Madam Speaker, when this unjust detention was brought to my attention 
I expressed concern and dismay. But when I met with Liu and her 
daughter--I knew more--much more had to be done. Diana, the 9-year-old 
daughter of Dr. Li asked me to help her dad. She composed two letters 
and drawings in crayon that really hit home with me. One that was for 
me and one I was asked to give to President Bush. I would just like to 
quote the one that I gave to the President on April 25. I hand 
delivered it to him.
  ``Hi, Mr. President,
  ``My name is Diana Li. I am 9 years old. I have never written to a 
President before in my life. Now I am writing because China has 
captured my daddy, Shaomin Li. I need your help to rescue my daddy. 
Would you please help me? I miss my daddy very much. I can imagine if 
you were captured by China, your daughters would miss you very much, 
too. And so would their mom.
  ``Please help me rescue my daddy. Thank you. Diana Li.''
  Madam Speaker, let us hope that the crayon is mightier than the sword 
and that Beijing will understand the extreme folly of their hostage-
taking and listen as well to the plea of a 9-year-old asking for her 
father.
  And, Madam Speaker, the cases of the other hostages are equally 
compelling. At the hearing last Tuesday, we also heard from Donghua 
Xue, the husband of Dr. Gao Zhan, who has been held hostage for 134 
days. Mr. Xue, a senior systems analyst at EDS Corporation, told us how 
on February 11 when he and his wife, a U.S. permanent resident and 
research fellow at American University and their 5-year-old son Andrew, 
an American citizen, were leaving China after a brief vacation, were 
arrested and detained. To quote Mr. Xue.
  ``The three of us were separated by force, blindfolded and held in 
three different places.''
  Donghua was held for 26 days. His 5-year-old son, an American 
citizen, was separately held for 26 days without any contact whatsoever 
with his parents or family members. Even our embassy in Beijing was in 
the dark about this littlest hostage who, I need to say again, is an 
American citizen.
  Madam Speaker, it was and is abundantly clear that Mr. Xue is 
desperately worried about his wife's condition, and he told us at the 
hearing that her attorneys in Beijing have made several attempts to 
visit her and they have all been denied. The only reason we can think 
of, he went on to say, is that she perhaps has been physically tortured 
or at least has some obvious wounds that they do not want the outside 
world to see. In a word he went on, ``My wife Gao Zhan is in a very 
dangerous situation. I am calling on the American government to try 
even harder to help.''
  In his testimony, Madam Speaker, Mr. Xue also underscored the Chinese 
government's rhetorical commitment to the rule of law. He said ``the 
Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. emphasized several times in his letters 
to the congressional Members and to U.S. officials that, quote, ``China 
is a country ruled by laws.'' The spokesman from the Chinese foreign 
minister has said that they, quote, ``strictly follow the legal 
procedures to deal with the scholars' cases.''
  ``I certainly wish that these statements were true,'' he went on, 
``but from my nightmare experience in China, the statements are far 
from reality. To make a family disappear from the earth for almost a 
month, to illegally detain my son Andrew,'' he testified, ``a U.S. 
citizen for 26 days, without even notifying the U.S. embassy, to 
separate a 5-year-old American child by force from his legal guardians 
and his family, to emotionally and psychologically torture a 5-year-old 
child for several weeks just for interrogations hostage. These actions 
not only violate Chinese and international laws and U.S.-China 
treaties, these actions are inhuman and they are barbaric. We can only 
associate these actions with the terrorism organizations, not with a 
country that purports to be ruled by laws.''
  Mr. Xue also made an important comparison, Madam Speaker, with the 
way in which his wife's case has been portrayed and that of our 24 
detained servicemen and women from the EP-3E reconnaissance aircraft. I 
quote him again:
  ``When our 24 crew members had been detained in China, they were 
allowed to meet with U.S. officials. They were allowed to send messages 
to their families. They lived in a hotel condition according to news 
reports. They were finally released after 11 days of diplomatic 
negotiations. We don't know where our scholars are. We don't know

[[Page H3484]]

anything about my wife's health condition. But one thing we are 100 
percent sure of, they are not living in a hotel condition. Why do they 
treat crew members and the scholars so differently? It is the Chinese 
government who is discriminating against the Chinese people. I hope the 
American government pays the same effort as they did for the crew 
members to rescue these detained scholars.''
  Madam Speaker, I urge the passage of this resolution. Hopefully, this 
is the first step in raising everyone's consciousness concerning this 
outrage of hostage-taking of these Chinese Americans.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in strong support of H. Res. 160. I commend my good friend and 
colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), for introducing 
this important resolution and for his quite eloquent advocacy of it. We 
have so often heard the pleas of children hurt by governments, hurt by 
violations of human rights; and I think that it will often be quoted, 
``Let the crayon be mightier than the sword.'' I say to the gentleman 
from New Jersey, that is a line that I think we should remember.
  Madam Speaker, this resolution calls on the government of the 
People's Republic of China to immediately and unconditionally release 
American scholars of Chinese ancestry, including both United States 
citizens and U.S. permanent residents, being held in detention. 
Unfortunately, the recent arrest of these scholars is only the latest 
example of the Chinese Government's willingness to invent false 
accusations against perfectly innocent people, especially those 
involved in the noble but dangerous effort to secure human rights for 
the people of China.
  To illustrate the cost in human terms of China's brutality, let us 
look at one case, one of the several cases that our colleague from New 
Jersey brought up, and that is the case of Dr. Gao Zhan. Gao Zhan is an 
academic who specializes in researching women's issues. She and her 
husband are permanent residents of the United States and their 5-year-
old son, Andrew, is an American by birth. Gao and her family traveled 
to China to visit relatives. As they stood in line at the Beijing 
airport waiting for their flight back to the United States, they were 
seized by Chinese officials. Each family member was forced into a 
separate car waiting outside the terminal and taken away.
  Imagine the horror of a mother being suddenly separated from her 
child by nameless Chinese officials. Imagine the fear experienced by 
Gao's husband as he was blindfolded, driven for hours to an unknown 
location, and subsequently interrogated about his wife's research. 
Imagine being a 5-year-old boy torn away from your parents under such 
circumstances. Gao's son was taken to a state-run institution. He was 
held alone for 26 days, completely separated from his family. Let me 
repeat, a 5-year-old boy held alone for 26 days without his mother, 
without his father, or without even access to his grandparents, who 
happen to live in China.
  These actions violate international law and bilateral agreements 
between the United States and China, not to mention basic human decency 
in the way of treating people, particularly a 5-year-old child. Chinese 
authorities finally allowed Gao's husband to retrieve his son and 
return to the United States. Gao, however, has not fared so well. She 
is still imprisoned in China on false charges. The Chinese Government 
refuses to reveal the nature of the so-called evidence against Gao or 
to give her a chance to publicly defend herself with adequate defense 
counsel.
  We know about the cases of Gao Zhan and the other five scholars that 
are specifically mentioned in the resolution because they have 
connections to the United States. They are residents or citizens of the 
United States. But let us also remember that there are tens of 
thousands of Chinese citizens who have no connection with America but 
are dissidents struggling to lay the groundwork for a future democratic 
China. These thousands are locked away for years in Chinese jails. 
There is no embassy to ask about them, no newspapers to write about 
them, and they are relegated to a most uncertain and most inhumane 
fate. We must remember them. We must honor them and the democratic 
cause for which they fight.
  As a first step, it is absolutely imperative that the Bush 
administration make the release of these six Chinese Americans a top 
priority in our relationship with the People's Republic of China. We 
can win the release of these Chinese Americans if we bring this issue 
to the highest level. If President Bush personally asks President Jiang 
to release these and other imprisoned scholars, I am confident that Gao 
Zhan will see her husband and son again, and that Li Shaomin will soon 
come home to his wife and his daughter.
  It is important that we pass this resolution. It is also important 
that we keep these human rights abuses in mind when we decide what 
position to take as a country and as a Congress on the issue of whether 
the Olympics should be held in Beijing in 2008. It is perhaps 
unfortunate that the administration has announced that it is neutral 
with regard to that bid for the Olympics. But the Olympics stands for 
something. It stands, in part, for the humane treatment of all people. 
I think this Congress ought to take up and bring up on this floor the 
resolution urging that the Olympics not be held in Beijing while human 
rights abuses continue.
  In addition, it is important that we as Members of Congress keep 
these human rights issues in mind as we vote on annual, quote, ``normal 
trade relations,'' also known as most-favored-nation status when that 
issue comes to this floor. But for now, I urge all my colleagues to 
support H. Res. 160.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence).
  Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time, and I thank my colleague from New Jersey for his outstanding 
leadership on House Resolution 160, calling on the Government of the 
People's Republic of China to immediately and unconditionally release 
Dr. Li Shaomin and other American scholars of Chinese ancestry 
currently being held in detention. I also would commend the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Sherman) for his eloquent words today in support 
of this important resolution.
  Madam Speaker, the Good Book says that we are to stand with those in 
prison as though we ourselves were prisoners. In this well of liberty, 
this well where resides the dreams and hopes and ambitions of freedom-
loving people all over the world, today's resolution authored by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) is an important statement. It is 
important that this Congress call on the Government of the People's 
Republic of China to immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Li 
Shaomin and other American scholars of Chinese ancestry held in 
detention and that we call today on the President of the United States 
to continue immediately and urgently working on behalf of their 
release.
  The Government of the People's Republic of China, Madam Speaker, has 
targeted, arrested, and detained several scholars and intellectuals of 
Chinese ancestry with ties to the United States, including, as 
astonishingly as it may seem, two United States citizens and three 
permanent residents of the United States of America. According to the 
Department of State's 2000 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in 
China and international human rights organizations, the Government of 
the PRC has, quote, ``continued to commit widespread and well-
documented human rights abuses in violation of internationally accepted 
norms. Targeting of intellectuals and scholars for harassment, 
arbitrary arrest, detention and criminal charges has created a chilling 
effect on the nascent freedom of expression which has begun to take 
hold within the People's Republic of China.''
  Dr. Li Shaomin is a United States citizen, Madam Speaker, and a 
scholar who has been detained by the Government of the PRC for more 
than 100 days. He was formally charged with spying for Taiwan on May 
15, 2001. Dr. Li has been deprived of his basic human rights by 
arbitrary arrest and detention and has not, as the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith) stated with passion, even been allowed to contact 
his wife and child or his attorney or been offered even the most

[[Page H3485]]

rudimentary due-process rights which, while not secured and vouchsafed 
for the citizens of China, certainly ought to be respected for the 
citizens of the United States of America within the geographic 
boundaries of China.
  Accordingly, this resolution, Madam Speaker, does in fact condemn and 
deplore the continued detention of Dr. Li, of Dr. Gao Zhan and other 
scholars detained on false charges by the Government of China, calls 
for their immediate release, deplores the lack of due process and urges 
the Government of the PRC to consider carefully the implications to its 
broader relationship with the United States through this detainment and 
coercion of American citizens and citizens of Chinese descent.

                              {time}  1545

  We need look no further, Madam Speaker, than the cover of The 
Washington Post today, which speaks about China's concern about U.S. 
actions affecting our long-term relationship.
  Madam Speaker, I would say it is time for China to begin to worry how 
its actions against American citizens will affect the relationship of 
this body to that government.
  I close again with that challenge, that quote, from two millennia ago 
that we ought to stand with those that are in prison, Madam Speaker, as 
though we ourselves were prisoners. We in this Congress should stand 
today strongly for House Resolution 160 and call on the government of 
the People's Republic of China to make this small step toward liberty.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt).
  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, as representatives of the American people, 
with this resolution we will today urge the People's Republic of China, 
in the strongest possible terms, to release Li Shoamin, a naturalized 
American citizen, and I might add a constituent of mine from New 
Jersey, from my congressional district, from custody of the Beijing 
State Security Bureau, where he has been detained since February of 
this year.
  Our actions today are also intended to call attention to the other 
scholars of Chinese ancestry who are being illegally detained in China. 
I have met personally on three occasions with Liu Yingli, Mr. Li 
Shaomin's wife and their charming young daughter, Diana.
  When one meets with them and talks with them and sees the pain and 
uncertainty that they are experiencing over the detainment of their 
husband and father, it is impossible not to realize how important this 
legislation is.
  I am pleased to join my colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Smith), in presenting this legislation and urging its passage.
  Li Shaomin received his Ph.D. in sociology from Princeton a decade 
and a half ago. He is a respected and published scholar in demography, 
has contributed greatly to research focused on strategic management and 
marketing.
  On February 25, Dr. Li, who over the years has traveled frequently to 
Beijing and other parts of China, was traveling across the border to 
visit a friend. Upon crossing, Dr. Li was detained by state security 
officials who claimed he had been, well, we do not know. They now say 
he was engaged in espionage.
  The detention of Dr. Li is just another in a string of a half dozen 
arrests by Chinese authorities of academics who have connections with 
China. We have a responsibility to let the Chinese Government know that 
the United States and the world are aware of these actions, are 
watching closely, and find this sort of behavior unacceptable.
  The charges brought against Dr. Li are vague and unsubstantiated. The 
fact that Dr. Li is the son of a prominent Chinese dissident, Li 
Honglin, who now resides in Hong Kong, I think is a significant point. 
It raises extremely serious questions of political motivation for the 
Chinese detainment of Dr. Li.
  Since his detention, Dr. Li's detention, Chinese authorities have 
refused to release any information or describe any so-called evidence 
that has surfaced against Dr. Li. Disturbingly, the Chinese authorities 
also failed to inform Dr. Li's wife directly about the detention until 
May 17, when she was informed by the state security ministry via 
telephone that her husband was arrested and charged with espionage. 
U.S. consular officials have not been granted sufficient access to him, 
and in addition without explanation from the Chinese authority, Liu 
Yingli and Dr. Li's lawyer have been denied access to Dr. Li.
  Of course, all of this raises questions about the rights of people in 
China who do not have the U.S. embassy watching out for their 
interests, how much worse it must be for them.
  The People's Republic of China is a proud nation that is increasingly 
taking its place on the world stage. All of us are aware of their 
desire to have increased trading relationships with the West; to host 
the Olympic games; to be on the modern stage of nations. If China wants 
to be a member of the community of nations, actions like the detainment 
of Dr. Li are unacceptable and, I would argue, counterproductive. It is 
only appropriate that Congress make clear that Dr. Li and other U.S. 
citizens who are being illegally detained must be released.
  Violation of human rights, violation of standards, international 
standards of law, are not behavior consistent with a modern nation that 
wants to be part of the modern world of trade, of academic inquiry and 
exchange, and international exchange.
  I urge my colleagues in the strongest possible terms to pass this 
legislation. We must do all we can to see that these Americans are 
released as quickly as possible.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote yes on H. Res. 160 and to 
keep these issues in mind as other issues involving the U.S.-China 
relationship come before this House.
  Mr. GILMAN. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Hyde and the 
distinguished East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee Chairman, The 
gentleman from Iowa, Congressman Leach, for swiftly moving H. Res. 160, 
a resolution calling on the Government of the People's Republic of 
China to immediately and unconditionally release certain American 
citizens and residents from detention in China. I commend the gentleman 
from New Jersey, Mr. Smith for drafting this important, timely 
resolution.
  I am very concerned that Chinese-American citizens and U.S. permanent 
residents of Chinese ancestry are being illegally held by the 
government of the People's Republic of China. There is no rule of law 
in that country. In China a person is not innocent until proven guilty. 
A person's guild or innocence is predetermined by the government, and, 
as we all know, thousands of arrests and imprisonments are carried out 
for political reasons.
  Let's be perfectly clear about this. Government sponsored kidnapping 
is terrorism. It is no less a crime than what is being committed by 
terrorists against Americans currently being held in the Philippines.
  Madam Speaker, a you will recall, the People's Republic of China has 
done this before. One year it held activist Harry Wu. Another time it 
held Wang Dan and Wei Jingsheng. Harry Wu was released to ensure the 
First Lady Hillary Clinton would attend the UN 1995 Beijing Women's 
Conference. Wang Dan and Wei Jingsheng were temporally released in 1993 
as China was bidding to host the 2000 Olympics game. For years the 
Chinese dictatorship have been holding and releasing, and then holding 
and releasing Catholic clergy loyal to Pope John Paul II. Some of these 
hostages are beaten to death, some are eventually released, some 
permanently, some temporarily after they are leveraged on MFN, WTO, 
Taiwan or some other significant issue.
  So let us be clear. Our State Department is on notice that we want 
our people back immediately and unconditionally. The President should 
put on hold any consideration about his meeting with Chinese leaders 
until this occurs.
  The Chinese government and the bureaucrats in the State Department 
who are still in place from the previous Administration must understand 
that our people are not pawns for trade. First the Chinese government 
must return our people and then we can talk about other things, such as 
trade.
  The cautions U.S. response that we have given to date, just will not 
do. The taking of our citizens is an outrage and they should be 
released now and unconditionally. Accordingly, I strongly support H. 
Res. 160.
  Mr. HUNTER. Madam Speaker, I would like to make a statement on behalf 
of H. Res. 160, a bill that I have cosponsored which calls on the 
Chinese government to immediately and unconditionally release from 
prison Dr. Li Shaomin and all other American scholars of Chinese 
ancestry.

[[Page H3486]]

  As you know, in recent months we have seen the shocking arrest of 
United States citizens and permanent residents by the People's Republic 
of China (PRC). These prisoners represent some of the best and 
brightest of the U.S. academic and business communities, and they have 
been falsely and tragically charged with committing crimes of espionage 
and violation of ``state secrets'' laws while traveling in China. In 
most cases, these prisoners have been held for long periods of time 
without formal charges filed against them, without the ability to meet 
with their attorneys, and without communication with their families and 
loved ones.
  Although the Chinese government has said that many of these 
individuals have confessed to their crimes, our own State Department's 
Country Reports on Human Rights Abuses contains condemning data showing 
the PRC routinely denies prisoners basic due process rights, and 
regularly extracts confessions by coercion.
  As we know, this behavior by the Chinese is nothing new. We remember 
the brutal way that their government suppressed a movement toward free 
speech in Tiananmen Square a decade ago, and we have seen no redeeming 
conduct since that time that would lead us to believe that they intend 
to change their ways. It was just several weeks ago that an American 
military aircraft was shot down while flying in international waters, 
and the service members aboard held hostage while the Chinese 
government attempted to force an apology by the United States. To this 
date, we still have been unable to retrieve our own aircraft from their 
country.
  This unending succession of events is being watched on the world 
stage by nations that the PRC would do well to please in order to 
secure their place in the world economy. However, China neither feels 
contrite regarding their actions, nor do they exhibit acceptable 
efforts to improve their lot with democratic countries. Unfortunately, 
the United States consistently regards them for their provocative and 
brutal actions by extending to them a privileged trade status ideally 
afforded friendly and democratic nations.
  Madam Speaker, this legislation's passage would send a strong signal 
to the Chinese government that their actions are barbaric and 
unacceptable. When confronted with situations that threaten American 
citizens abroad, it is absolutely necessary to speak in a united front. 
We should also refuse to award them with the riches gleaned from an 
unbalanced trading relationship that comes at the expense of American 
jobs and national security.
  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 160, which 
condemns and deplores the continued detention of Li Shaomin, Gao Zhan, 
Wu Jianmin, Tan Guangguang, Teng Chunyan, and other scholars detained 
on false charges by the Government of the People's Republic of China, 
and calls for their immediate and unconditional release. The resolution 
condemns and deplores the lack of due process afforded to these 
detainees, and the probable coercion of confessions from some of them.
  Furthermore, it condemns and deplores the ongoing and systematic 
pattern of human rights violations by the Government of the People's 
Republic of China. Also, the resolution strongly urges the Government 
of the People's Republic of China to consider the implications to the 
broader United States-Chinese relationship of detaining and coercing 
confessions from United States citizens and permanent residents on 
unsubstantiated spying charges or suspicions. In addition, the measure 
urges the Government of the People's Republic of China to consider 
releasing Liu Yaping on humanitarian grounds.
  In addition, the measure expresses the sense of the House that human 
rights violations inflicted on United States citizens and residents by 
the Government of the People's Republic of China will reduce 
opportunities of United States-Chinese cooperation on a wide range of 
issues.
  I congratulate Representative Smith for his work in bringing this 
resolution to the floor. This is an important statement by the people's 
House today. It says to the Government of China, that the U.S. House of 
Representatives cares about the human rights abuses committed by the 
Government of China.
  Just two months ago in March, I had the honor of leading a ceremony 
in which my constituent, Dong Hau Xue, husband of the imprisoned 
American University scholar named in this legislation, Dr. Gao Zhan, 
became a U.S. citizen.
  This ceremony was bittersweet. When he and his wife first applied for 
permanent residency 1998, it had been their hope and prayer that they 
would experience the joyous day of citizenship together, having both 
completed the requirements of citizenship.
  But this was not to be. Gao Zhan should have been standing alongside 
her husband and their 5-year-old son Andrew. Instead, Gao Zhan was 
languishing in a Chinese prison, thousands of miles away, separated 
from her family and loved ones.
  Today marks Gao Zhan's 134th day in captivity. Gao Zhan is an 
academic researcher at the American University studying women's issues. 
What kind of government imprisons academics who focus on women's 
issues?
  I know how grim conditions can be in Chinese prisons. I visited 
Beijing Prison #1 in 1991 where some 40 Tiananmen Square demonstrators 
were being held. When I was in Tibet, I talked with several individuals 
who had been in Drapche Prison who told me of the horrible conditions.
  It is an outrage that a country pressing to host the athletes of the 
world during the 2008 Summer Olympic games continues to abuse the basic 
human rights of citizens and visitors to their nation.
  If the Chinese government ever hopes to have any credibility in the 
world community, China must immediately release Gao Zhan, an innocent 
women, wife and mother; U.S. citizens Dr. Li Shaomin and Mr. Wu 
Jianmin; permanent U.S. residents Mr. Qin Guangguang, Mrs Teng Chunyan, 
and Mr. Liu Yaping.
  I urge a unanimous vote in support of H. Res. 160 and I implore the 
government of the People's Republic of China to free Gao Zhan and the 
other scholars and reunite them with their families.
  Mr. DeLAY. Madam Speaker, I rise today because I am outraged. 
Outraged that the People's Republic of China is holding American 
scholars against their will. H. Res. 160, introduced by my colleague 
Mr. Smith of New Jersey, takes an important step toward addressing the 
human and civil rights abuses committed by the Communist Chinese 
government. This Congress must not let human rights abuses by China or 
any other nation go unchecked.
  At the present time, Li Shaomin and other scholars are being held in 
Chinese prisons for ``crimes against the State.'' These Americans may 
be enduring torture and coercion, and may be forced into ``confessing'' 
to crimes they did not commit. But these are perhaps the least of the 
indignities that these men and women must endures.
  The imprisonment of Li Shaomin and other American scholars of Chinese 
ancestry are just symptoms of the larger disease that is China's 
blatant disregard for human life and human rights. It is clear from the 
State Department's 2000 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in 
China, that the Communist Chinese government commits, on a daily basis, 
violations of the most essential and basic human rights.
  Let our support for this resolution send a clear and compelling 
signal that this Congress and our Nation will not stand silently by 
while natural and universal human rights are curtailed in China or 
anywhere else.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of House 
Resolution 160.
  Madam Speaker, I am deeply disturbed by the Government of China's 
recent arrests and detentions of American citizens and U.S. permanent 
residents of Chinese ancestry.
  Prosecutions of Americans by China's State Security Ministry and 
agencies have been rare since the Korean War. With the recent outbreak 
of detentions, however, it is troubling that China may now feel it 
acceptable to target American subjects--as long as they have Chinese 
blood.
  In particular, I find it deplorable that those detained have been 
held virtually incommunicado for months--denied any contact with 
immediate family members and even their attorneys. Given the lack of 
due process and the hidden, clandestine proceedings, it is no wonder 
that China's charges of espionage and other serious violations against 
the detainees are viewed as false, and any confessions produced as 
resulting from torture.
  In an effort to address these matters, Madam Speaker, I commend Mr. 
Smith, Mr. Lantos and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen for introducing House Resolution 
160. I am honored to be a co-sponsor of the measure.
  In addition to calling upon the Chinese Government for the immediate 
and unconditional release Dr. Li, Dr. Geo and other American scholars 
of Chinese ancestry who have been detained, this important legislation 
urges President Bush to appoint a special envoy and make the detainees' 
release a top priority in U.S.-Sino relations.
  I cannot agree more Madam Speaker, as American citizens and U.S. 
permanent residents, when they go overseas, must be protected and not 
be subject to arbitrary harassment and detention on unsubstantiated 
charges, whether by China or any other nation.
  I strongly urge adoption of the legislation by our colleagues.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, we do have some additional 
speakers; but regrettably, they are either en route from their home 
districts or are in appropriations markups. So

[[Page H3487]]

at this point since they are not here, Madam Speaker, I yield back the 
balance of our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 160, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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