[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 25 (Tuesday, March 2, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H716-H724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  URGING INTRODUCTION OF RESOLUTION CALLING ON CHINA TO END ITS HUMAN 
                           RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 530) urging the appropriate 
representative of the United States to the 60th session of the United 
Nations Commission on Human Rights to introduce a resolution calling 
upon the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its human 
rights violations in China, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 530

       Whereas the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission 
     on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, is the most important 
     international forum for discussing human rights and 
     expressing international support for improved human rights 
     performance;
       Whereas according to the Department of State, the United 
     States Commission on International Religious Freedom, and 
     international human rights organizations, the Government of 
     the People's Republic of China continues to commit well-
     documented human rights abuses against the Chinese people;
       Whereas the People's Republic of China has yet to 
     demonstrate its willingness to abide by internationally 
     accepted norms of freedom of belief, expression, and 
     association by repealing or amending laws and decrees that 
     restrict those freedoms;
       Whereas the Government of People's Republic of China 
     continues to ban and criminalize groups it labels as cults or 
     heretical organizations;
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     has repressed unregistered religious groups and spiritual 
     movements and persists in persecuting persons on the basis of 
     unauthorized religious activities using such measures as 
     harassment, surveillance, job discrimination, exorbitant 
     fines, prolonged detention, physical abuse, incarceration, 
     and closure or destruction of places of worship;
       Whereas international human rights organizations have 
     documented that torture, maltreatment, the use of confessions 
     extracted through torture, and other abuses while in 
     detention are rampant in the Chinese legal system;
       Whereas the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners has 
     been particularly harsh;
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     launched a brutal campaign to eradicate Falun Gong from their 
     country;
       Whereas since this time large numbers of Falun Gong 
     practitioners have been arrested, subjected to harsh 
     reeducation efforts, and some have even been tortured to 
     death;
       Whereas Falun Gong practitioners continue to report 
     harassment and acts of violence at the hands of foreign 
     nationals which have occurred against them during peaceful 
     protests in the United States and other countries;
       Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation is currently 
     investigating the possibility of links between attacks 
     against Falun Gong practitioners in the United States and the 
     Government of the People's Republic of China;
       Whereas Catholics who remain faithful to the Pope and in 
     communion with Rome face continuing restrictions, including 
     difficulties holding worship services, obtaining building 
     permits for churches, and training clergy;
       Whereas Protestant house church leaders are facing 
     increased pressure to register with the official Protestant 
     church or face harassment, detention, and destruction of 
     their places of worship;
       Whereas many Catholic and Protestant leaders and believers 
     have been imprisoned or subject to house arrest including Su 
     Zhimin, a Catholic Bishop who was reportedly arrested in 1997 
     and who is currently reported to be in very poor health;
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     continues to exert tight control over the religious and 
     cultural institutions of Tibetan Buddhists and Uighur 
     Muslims, using torture, arbitrary arrest, and detention 
     without public trial against these individuals for peacefully 
     expressing their religious or political views;
       Whereas the whereabouts of Gendun Choekyi Nyima, the boy 
     identified by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama, are 
     still unknown;
       Whereas Gendun Choekyi Nyima was 6 years old when the 
     Chinese authorities took him and his family away in 1995;
       Whereas it is believed that the Chinese authorities are 
     holding him in a secret location;
       Whereas Tibetans caught displaying photos of the 11th 
     Panchen Lama or the Dalai Lama face harassment, fines, and 
     detention;
       Whereas in January 2003, the Government of the People's 
     Republic of China executed a

[[Page H717]]

     Tibetan man named Lobsang Dhondup without due process and 
     despite repeated assurances to United States officials that 
     his case and that of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche would be would 
     reviewed by the Chinese Supreme People's Court;
       Whereas this review never happened and Tenzin Delek 
     Rinpoche remains on death row, in the second year of his 
     suspended death sentence;
       Whereas enforcement by the Government of the People's 
     Republic of China of its one-child per family policy has been 
     cruel and inhumane and has included the use of forced 
     abortion and forced sterilization;
       Whereas this one-child per family policy has led to the 
     abandonment and infanticide of baby girls and a 
     disproportionate number of male children in China, which will 
     have serious and detrimental sociological impacts on China 
     for years to come;
       Whereas 14 years after the 1989 pro-democracy 
     demonstrations in Tiananmen Square, many protesters remain in 
     prison and no independent investigations have taken place 
     regarding the massacre that occurred during those 
     demonstrations;
       Whereas authorities in the People's Republic of China have 
     continued their efforts to extinguish expressions of protest 
     or criticism and have detained and sentenced scores of 
     citizens associated with attempts to organize peaceful 
     protests, to expose corruption, to preserve their ethnic 
     minority identity, and to use the Internet for the free 
     exchange of ideas;
       Whereas many prisoners in China are confined to state run 
     psychiatric hospitals for simple acts of expressing their 
     thoughts on political issues, like veteran human rights 
     activist and prisoner of conscience Wang Wanxing;
       Whereas many Chinese prisoners are in Laogai, forced labor 
     camps in which inmates are subject to various forms of cruel 
     and forced labor;
       Whereas the International Committee of the Red Cross and 
     other international human rights organizations have been 
     denied access to the Chinese prison system;
       Whereas it well documented that organs taken from executed 
     prisoners are sold for use in transplants in China and 
     abroad;
       Whereas the percentage of transplant kidneys estimated to 
     be derived from executed prisoners in China has been put as 
     high as 90 percent of all transplanted kidneys in China;
       Whereas organs reported to be harvested from executed 
     prisoners in China include corneas, kidneys, and hearts;
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     agreed during the December 2002 session of the United States-
     China Bilateral Human Rights Dialogue to invite, without 
     conditions, the United States Commission on International 
     Religious Freedom, the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on 
     Religious Intolerance and Torture, and the United Nations 
     Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to visit China;
       Whereas none of these visits have taken place in the last 
     year and, in the case of the United States Commission on 
     International Religious Freedom, two agreed upon trips were 
     canceled because of unacceptable conditions placed on the 
     visit by the Government of the People's Republic of China;
       Whereas the United States decision not to introduce a 
     resolution calling upon the People's Republic of China to end 
     its human rights violations in China at the 59th Session of 
     United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva was 
     based, in part, on the belief that the aforementioned 
     agreements signaled a good faith commitment on the part of 
     Chinese officials to improve human rights practice in China;
       Whereas when well-founded, balanced, and accurate 
     resolutions regarding human rights in China were raised in 
     previous sessions of the United Nations Commission on Human 
     Rights, the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     strongly pressured other countries to oppose the 
     consideration of those resolutions;
       Whereas since the last session of the United States China 
     Bilateral Human Rights Dialogue, a number of very troubling 
     incidents have occurred, including--
       (1) the arrests of a number of democracy advocates,
       (2) the detention and torture of 18 Tibetans who were 
     forcibly repatriated from Nepal with the cooperation of 
     Chinese officials, in contravention of international law,
       (3) the ongoing forced repatriation of North Korean 
     nationals, who upon return to North Korea will face almost 
     certain arrest, torture, or even death,
       (4) the arrest and sentencing of Internet essayists and 
     labor protesters,
       (5) the execution of Lobsang Dondrup and continued 
     detention of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, and
       (6) the continued refusal to allow access by United States 
     diplomats and family members of the accused to the trials of 
     those detained for political or religious activities;
       Whereas the People's Republic of China has signed the 
     International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but has 
     yet to take the necessary steps to make the treaty legally 
     binding;
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China is 
     a party to the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to 
     Refugees and its 1967 Protocol;
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China is 
     a party to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and 
     Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or 
     Punishment; and
       Whereas the Constitution and laws of the People's Republic 
     of China purport to provide for fundamental human rights, 
     however, the protections of these rights are often ignored in 
     practice: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) it is the sense of Congress that--
       (A) the United States Government should continue to insist 
     that the People's Republic of China adhere to fundamental 
     human rights principles and allow its citizens the full 
     enjoyment of those rights;
       (B) at the 60th Session of the United Nations Human Rights 
     Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, the appropriate 
     representative of the United States should introduce a 
     resolution calling upon the People's Republic of China to end 
     its human rights violations in China and meet internationally 
     recognized standards for human rights;
       (C) the United States Government should take the lead in 
     organizing multilateral support to obtain passage by the 
     Commission of such a resolution and should draft the 
     resolution in such a way as to highlight specific human 
     rights abuses;
       (D) all countries with representatives at the 60th Session 
     of the United Nations Human Rights Commission should support 
     passage of such a resolution and resist efforts by 
     representatives of the People's Republic of China to oppose 
     the consideration or passage of such a resolution; and
       (E) United States Government officials and officials from 
     other governments should continue to speak out in 
     international forums and elsewhere against Chinese repression 
     of religious and political freedom, persecution of Tibetans, 
     Falun Gong practitioners, Catholics, Protestants, and Uighur 
     Muslims, the unjust arrest and detention of religious leaders 
     and political dissidents, harsh conditions in Laogai and 
     other prisons, coercive family planning policies, and the 
     forced return of North Korean refugees; and
       (2) Congress urges the Government of the People's Republic 
     of China--
       (A) to take the necessary measures to stop the persecution 
     of all religious practitioners and to safeguard fundamental 
     human rights;
       (B) to stop the forced return of North Korean refugees, to 
     allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 
     access to North Koreans inside China, and to work with the 
     United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to develop a 
     viable solution to the humanitarian crisis involving North 
     Korean refugees;
       (C) to end its coercive one-child per family policy and 
     ensure that no national, provincial, or local government 
     officials subject women to forced abortions or 
     sterilizations;
       (D) to immediately hold an open and transparent 
     investigation into the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy 
     demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, to release all the 
     prisoners held in connection with that event, and to pay 
     compensation to the families who lost their loved ones;
       (E) to release from detention all prisoners of conscience, 
     persons held because of their religious activities, and 
     persons of humanitarian concern;
       (F) to release the 11th Panchen Lama identified by Dalai 
     Lama and allow him to undertake his rightful role;
       (G) to allow the Chinese people to practice freely and 
     openly their religious beliefs;
       (H) to adhere to the provisions and guidelines of the 
     International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the 
     United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of 
     Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the 
     1951 Convention Relating to Refugees and its 1967 Protocol; 
     and
       (I) to allow, immediately and without restrictions, visits 
     to China by the United States Commission on International 
     Religious Freedom, the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on 
     Religious Intolerance and Torture, the United Nations Working 
     Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the International Committee 
     of the Red Cross.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum) 
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.
  Despite the hopes and expectations of some that robust trade with 
China would usher in at least a modicum of respect for basic human 
rights and fundamental liberties, the simple fact of the matter is that 
the dictatorship in China oppresses, tortures and mistreats tens of 
millions of its own citizens.
  According to the U.S. Department of State, the government's human 
rights record remains poor, and the government continued to commit 
numerous and serious abuses, and the repression is getting worse. The 
State Department Human Rights Report went on to say there was 
backsliding, their word, backsliding on key human rights issues, 
including arrests. Abuses include killing, torture, mistreatment of 
prisoners, and forced confessions.
  Amazingly, many years, 15 years after Tiananmen Square when we saw

[[Page H718]]

people protesting the government asking for simple liberties and simple 
rights, carrying around a facsimile of the Statue of Liberty, 15 years 
after that there are still some 2,000 people remaining incarcerated in 
prison camps and detention centers. That is unconscionable this many 
years afterwards.
  I remind my colleagues that people who argue that if we just traded 
with the Chinese, that things would get better. Back in 1989, the trade 
deficit was about $6 billion. Now it is $124 billion and counting. It 
goes up by the day. We trade; they torture, abuse, incarcerate, arrest 
and mistreat.
  Some years ago soon after Tiananmen Square, it brought this to life 
to me and I was thinking about it this morning, the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Wolf) and I went to Beijing Prison No. 1, a prison where 
40 Tiananmen Square prisoners were being held. They were like modern-
day concentration camp victims. Their heads were shaved. Men who had 
been out there protesting, asking peacefully that the government allow 
just some basic liberties that we take for granted in the United States 
and in many other nations of the world, and yet for that the book was 
thrown at them and there they were making jelly shoes and socks for 
export to the United States.
  The torture does not stop with those who demand political freedoms. 
On the religious front there is ongoing aggressive repression of those 
who want to practice their faith as they see fit. We see Falun Gong 
practitioners who are routinely rounded up and beaten and abused, and 
hundreds have been tortured to death while held in captivity.
  I remember meeting in 1994 with a Catholic bishop by the name of 
Bishop Su. He now, counting all of the years to date he was in Chinese 
prisons, has spent 27 years of his life being mistreated in Chinese 
prison and detention centers. Here is a man whose only violation of the 
law was to practice his faith with faithfulness. He is a very holy man. 
In 1994 when he was out of prison briefly, I met with him, and there 
was not one ounce of malice or hate in him for the dictatorship that 
was so abusing him. He spoke of forgiveness and reconciliation and how 
he hoped some day China would be free; and for that, he has been 
severely punished.
  After I left, he was made a captive again and spent 9 days. Then he 
went into hiding, and in 1997 was recaptured again and put back into 
prison. In mid-November, we discovered that this great man was still 
alive and was getting some medical care under heavy guard. Here he is 
27 years, a Roman Catholic bishop, and he is just a tip of the iceberg.
  Protestant underground believers, Catholics who are underground Falun 
Gong, Tibetan Buddhists, and Uighur Muslims who have been rounded up 
under the pretext of post-9/11 saying somehow they are committing acts 
of terrorism, they are good, honest people, and the government of China 
enslaves them and mistreats them.
  As my colleagues know, China has been designated a CPC country, a 
country of particular concern, by the U.S. State Department because of 
its ongoing violations of religious liberties and rights. And as my 
colleagues know, since 1979 there has been the one-child per family 
policy. The policy says if the second child happens to come along, he 
or she has to be aborted. Heavy fines are imposed upon the women, 
particularly. They call it social compensation fees. Sometimes it is 
six times the annual salaries of the parents compelling them to abort 
that baby. Forced abortion and forced sterilization are commonplace in 
China.
  This resolution calls upon the government to cease that horrific 
attack on the human family and upon women. It is a violation of their 
basic human rights. It is violence against women, and the child as 
well.
  What this resolution does in a nutshell, it calls on the 
administration, it calls on all interested parties at the U.N. 
Commission on Human Rights, which will convene in mid-March, to take up 
a resolution to just bring out the facts and bring out the basic lack 
of human rights in China today and not bury it under the table, which 
unfortunately all of us have done to some extent; and certainly, the 
U.N. has done it for years.
  I would hope that the administration, and I believe they will, will 
try to get such a resolution passed. We have tried six times. We have 
not succeeded. One reason is that the Chinese government is very adroit 
at intimidating other countries or giving them foreign aid so they will 
back what we call a no-action motion that is offered in Geneva. Even 
with that as a possibility, and most likely a probability, I think we 
have a moral duty and obligation to raise it and raise it as 
aggressively as we can for the victims and those who will be victimized 
in the future.
  Madam Speaker, despite the hopes and expectations of some that robust 
trade with China would usher in at least a modicum of respect for basic 
human rights and fundamental liberties, the simple fact of the matter 
is that the dictatorship in China oppresses, tortures and mistreats 
tens of millions of its own citizens.
  According to the U.S. Department of State, the government's human 
rights record remains ``poor,'' and the government continued ``to 
commit numerous and serious abuses,'' and the repression is getting 
worse. The State Department Human Rights Report went on to say there 
was ``backsliding, on key human rights issues, including arrests. 
Abuses include killing, torture, mistreatment of prisoners, and forced 
confessions.''
  Amazingly, 15 years after Tiananmen Square when we witnessed 
courageous Chinese protesting government abuse, asking for simple 
liberties and elemental rights, even carrying around Tiananmen a 
facsimile of the Statue of Liberty, 15 years after that historic 
outpouring there are still some 2,000 people incarcerated in prison 
camps and detention centers. That is unconscionable.
  I remind my colleagues that the people who argued that if we just 
traded more with the Chinese, that things would get better on the human 
rights front. Back in 1989, the trade deficit was about $6 billion. Now 
it is $124 billion and counting. It worsens by the day. We trade, they 
torture; we trade, they abuse; we trade, they incarcerate; we trade, 
they arrest and mistreat.
  Right after Tiananmen Square, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) 
and I went to Beijing and visited Prison No. 1, a prison where 40 
Tiananmen Square prisoners were being held. They were like modern-day 
Nazi concentration camp victims. Their heads were shaved. These men had 
been out there in Tiananmen protesting, asking peacefully that the 
government allow some basic liberties that we take for granted in the 
United States and in many other nations of the world, and yet for that 
they where hunted down, tortured and jailed. In the prison they were 
making shoes and socks for export to the United States.
  By now most Members know that the torture does not stop with those 
who demand political freedoms. On the religious front there is ongoing 
aggressive repression of those who want to practice their faith as they 
see fit. We see Falun Gong practitioners who are routinely rounded up 
and beaten and abused, and hundreds have been tortured to death while 
held in captivity.
  I remember meeting in 1994 with a Catholic bishop by the name of 
Bishop Su. Bishop Su is a saintly man of God who has spent 27 years of 
his life being mistreated, tortured and oppressed in Chinese prison and 
detention centers. Here is a man whose only violation of the law was to 
practice his faith with faithfulness. He is a very holy man. In 1994 
when he was out of prison briefly, I met with him in Beijing and there 
was not one ounce of malice or hate in him for the dictatorship that 
was so harsh and cruel to him. It was stunning. He spoke of forgiveness 
and reconciliation and how he hoped some day China would permit 
religious freedom; and for that, he has been severely punished.
  After I left, he was arrested again and spent 9 days in jail. He was 
released and then he went into hiding, and in 1997 was recaptured again 
and put back into prison. In mid-November, we discovered that this 
great man was still alive, for we feared he might be dead, and was 
getting some medical care under heavy guard. Here he is 27 years in 
Chinese jails, a Roman Catholic bishop, a holy man, and he is just one 
example of many.
  Protestant underground believers, Catholics, Falun Gong, Tibetan 
Buddhists, and Uighur Muslims who have been repressed and even more so 
recently under the pretext of post-9/11 they are good, honest people, 
and the government of China enslaves them and mistreats them.
  As my colleagues know, China has been designated a CPC country, a 
country of particular concern, by the U.S. State Department because of 
its ongoing violations of religious liberties and rights. That's a 
serious designation shared by rogue states. And as my colleagues know, 
since 1979 there has been the one-child per family policy. The policy 
says that any child who happens to come along without explicit 
government permission is to be aborted. Heavy fines and pressure are 
imposed upon the women, particularly. They call

[[Page H719]]

it social compensation fees. The fee can be six times the annual 
salaries of the parents, compelling them to abort that baby. Forced 
abortion and forced sterilization are commonplace in China.
  This resolution calls upon the government to cease their horrific 
attack on the human family and upon women. It is a violation of their 
basic human rights. It is violence against women, and violence against 
the child as well.
  What this resolution does in sum is to call on the administration, 
and on all interested parties at the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in 
Geneva, which will convene in mid-March, to take up a resolution to 
bring out the facts and to scrutinize and condemn the lack of human 
rights in China today and not bury it under the table, which 
unfortunately all of us have done to some extent; and certainly, the 
U.N. has done it for years.
  I would hope that the administration, and I believe they will, will 
try to get such a resolution passed. We have tried six times. We have 
not succeeded. One reason is that the Chinese government is very adroit 
at intimidating other countries or giving them foreign aid so they will 
back what we call a no-action motion that will be offered in Geneva. 
Even with that as a possibility, and most likely a probability, I think 
we have a moral duty and obligation to raise Chinese human rights 
abuses and raise the issue as aggressively as we can for the victims 
who cannot speak or fend for themselves.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and 
before addressing the substance of the resolution I would like to thank 
its author, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith). He has been a 
leader on human rights issues, particularly as they relate to China.
  This resolution calls upon the administration to offer a resolution 
on China's human rights record at the upcoming meeting of the Human 
Rights Convention in Geneva. Given the human rights situation in China, 
it is imperative that the United States take a leadership role in 
galvanizing the world community to hold China accountable for gross 
violations of internationally recognized human rights.
  Last year the administration did not offer a China resolution at the 
Human Rights Commission, which has been only the third time since 1989 
that the United States had given China a pass on human rights. In 
announcing its decision, the administration asserted that China had 
made progress on human rights and religious freedoms. Madam Speaker, 
this was a profound mistake.
  China took America's unwillingness to lead the charge in Geneva as a 
sign of weakness, as a statement that China human rights issues had 
faded from the consciousness of the American public policymakers. Not 
surprisingly, human rights situations in China grew worse over the past 
year, not improved. Dissidents jailed remained behind bars; and 
incredibly, even some protesters from the 1989 Tiananmen demonstrations 
continue to be imprisoned. Chinese authorities have arrested average 
citizens who download or post politically sensitive materials on the 
Internet and have moved to place greater restrictions on Internet 
access.
  The Chinese government also continues its brutal crackdown on the 
Falun Gong spiritual movement and unregistered Christian churches. 
According to the State Department's 2003 Human Rights Report, China 
continues to deny internationally recognized labor rights, the rights 
of workers to organize. In addition, forced labor prisons remain a 
serious concern and a problem.
  Labor leaders in northeastern China fighting for the rights of 
unemployed workers from state-owned enterprises were tried and 
sentenced to long jail terms for their advocacy. Furthermore, China has 
not adopted a comprehensive policy to combat child labor. In urban 
areas children often work as street laborers. The State Department 
notes that children work in coal mines which often operate far from 
urban centers out of the view of law enforcement officials. This 
unacceptable policy puts the health and safety of children at risk. It 
is time for China to address this issue for once and all.
  Finally, this resolution will send a strong message to China that the 
imprisonment of Tibetan political prisoners is unacceptable. The 
release of one of Tibet's most prominent political prisoners and the 
longest serving female political prisoner was a positive step, but it 
is not sufficient. Hundreds of Tibetans remain imprisoned for their 
political or religious beliefs, detainees are regularly tortured and 
exiled Tibetans have only limited access to their country. We must 
continue to put pressure on China to promote the human rights of the 
Tibetan people.
  In short, Madam Speaker, the decision last year to treat China with 
kid gloves produced a backsliding on human rights, not progress. I hope 
the administration does not make this mistake again. True political 
change and representative government will eventually come to China. 
But, unfortunately, we cannot know whether it will take 5 years or 25 
years. But regardless of how long it takes, leaders of a new democratic 
China must believe that the United States stood with them in their time 
of darkness. An American-sponsored resolution in Geneva exposing 
China's poor human rights record accomplishes this vital task. I urge 
my colleagues to support this resolution.
  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 Virginia (Mr. Wolf), the man who authored 
the International Religious Freedom Act 5 years ago.
  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Smith), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lantos) and others who have been strong supporters with 
regard to speaking out on behalf of those being persecuted in China.
  I heard the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) talk about the 
Tiananmen Square demonstrators. We saw them making socks. I still have 
the socks in my office. That was 15 years ago.
  Madam Speaker, I ask Members, what were they doing 15 years ago? For 
the last 15 years, what were you doing? For the last 15 years, these 
men and women have been in prison, and very few people really speak 
out.
  I rise in strong support of this resolution. Every Member of Congress 
should be outraged that the men and women in China are routinely being 
persecuted by the government. Every Member of Congress and everyone in 
the administration ought to imagine a country and think about a country 
where factory workers have no workplace safety, labor and environmental 
protections, and are required to work 80 hours a week for no more than 
$110 per month for goods exported. Imagine a country which boldly 
supplies missile and chemical weapons technology to countries that 
harbor terrorists.

                              {time}  1445

  Imagine a country that oversees a network of espionage operations 
against American companies. The Chinese have a spying program against 
American industry second to none. The KGB could not hold a candle to 
what the Chinese Government is doing. Imagine a country which is 
plundering a neighbor and wiping out its religion-based culture. 
Imagine a country which tortures and imprisons Catholic bishops. There 
are 11 Catholic bishops according to the Cardinal Kung Foundation in 
prison today. Eleven. You almost never hear anybody speak out on behalf 
of them. You have a large number, 250, 300 Protestant house church 
leaders. I had a Protestant pastor come by to see me 2 weeks ago, a 
pastor that we had helped and worked with; he had been in prison 10 
years. He said his last job in a slave labor camp was making Christmas 
tree lights. A Protestant pastor in a Chinese prison making Christmas 
tree lights to celebrate the birth of Jesus. What is wrong? Yet you 
never really hear anybody speak out with regard to that.
  Buddhist monks and nuns, persecuted severely. Keep in mind the leader 
of the Chinese Government now is the guy who brought down all of the 
persecution of those who were Buddhists with regard to the Drapchi 
prison and what took place in Tibet. As the gentleman from New Jersey 
said, the Muslims are being pounded left and right. If you need a new 
organ or kidney, you can go to China and for $50,000, they will go into 
the prison, take your blood type, take his blood type, find a match, 
kill him, take him away, transplant the kidney for $50,000.

[[Page H720]]

  Slave labor camps. There are more slave labor camps in China today 
than there were when Solzhenitsyn wrote that Nobel Prize-winning book, 
``Gulag Archipelago.'' There are more in China today than there were 
then. We all know what country this imaginary country is. It is China.
  The other day I was coming in and I heard Simon and Garfunkel on the 
radio sing the words of ``The Boxer.'' It really struck me: ``Man hears 
what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.'' This administration 
and this Congress hears only what it wants to hear and disregards the 
rest.
  I had an opportunity several weeks ago to go to Berlin. We went to a 
train stop called Grunewald Station. It is where they took people who 
were Jewish and put them on trains and sent them away. I was there kind 
of late. As it was getting dark, I looked out, I looked at big, large 
homes that were all around this station. I said to myself, these people 
must have known what was taking place in 1941 and 1942 and 1943. They 
had little signs of how many were put on the trains in 1942 and 1943. 
Thousands and thousands. It got down to 1944 and 1945, in one train 17 
or 18. But the people that lived in the neighborhood had to know what 
was taking place.
  We have a 71-page report that the State Department has put out. So it 
is kind of like saying, We did not know. But we know. We cannot now 
say, We do not know what's taking place in China. The one-child per 
family, the human organ transplants, the slave labor camps. We cannot 
say we do not know because you get the 71-page report and you read it, 
71 pages about China.
  Later on when the Chinese Government falls, and it will fall, they 
will go the way of the Ceausescu government; and God bless Ronald 
Reagan when he spoke out and called the Soviet Union the Evil Empire 
and put the cruise missiles into Europe when nobody else wanted them. 
But they will fall and when they go back and open up the records, 
nobody will be able to say, we did not know, because now we know. We 
read the human rights report that came out of the State Department 3 
days ago.
  Madam Speaker, I am going to put the rest in the Record and just say 
this administration ought to follow this resolution. If it does not 
follow the resolution and yet it followed that 71-page report, I do not 
see how it can live with itself. Let me just say, as Dietrich 
Bonhoeffer said, it is cheap grace for the Congress just to pass a 
resolution urging them to do a resolution. We ought to be doing a lot 
more and speaking out on behalf of those who are being persecuted.
  Many people will tell you when the Reagan administration and the 
Carter administration used to go to the Soviet Union, they always met 
with the dissidents. They went into their apartments. They had them 
into the embassy. Somewhere there are bracelets with their names on 
them. They stood in solidarity with the people in the Soviet Union that 
were being persecuted. I find that when delegations, both congressional 
and executive branch, go to China, they meet with the leaders. They 
have their shark fin soup, and they meet in the big halls; but they do 
not meet with the people.
  We have a lot to learn, we in Congress and in the administration, to 
emulate President Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan always spoke out on 
behalf of the persecuted. Sharansky will tell you that his life got 
better when Ronald Reagan and the Congress, both Republicans and 
Democrats, raised the Sharansky case. He sometimes just got more food. 
He got more visitations. We need the administration, one, to introduce 
a resolution. Secondly, this Congress ought to do more or else the 
words from Simon and Garfunkel, ``The Boxer,'' ``Man hears what he 
wants to hear and disregards the rest,'' will in essence be the theme 
song for us in the United States where we say Congress hears only what 
it wants to hear and disregards the rest.
  Madam Speaker, there are 71 pages. We cannot ever again say we did 
not know, because now we know. I urge the strong passage of this 
resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 530 urging the 
United States to introduce a resolution highlighting China's human 
rights record at the 60th session of the United Nations Commission on 
Human Rights this month. Every Member of Congress should be outraged 
that men and women in China are routinely persecuted by the Chinese 
Government.
  Imagine a country where factory workers have no workplace safety, 
labor, or environmental protections and are required to work 80 hour-
weeks for no more than $110 per month to produce goods for export.
  Imagine a country which boldly supplies missile and chemical weapons 
technology to countries that support or harbor terrorists.
  Imagine a country that oversees a network of espionage operations 
against American companies.
  Imagine a country which is plundering a neighbor and wiping out its 
religion-based culture.
  Imagine a country which tortures and imprisons Catholic bishops, 
Protestant church leaders, Muslim worshipers, Falun Gong followers, and 
Buddhist monks and nuns just because of their faith and systematically 
destroys churches and confiscates bibles.
  Imagine a country which has a thriving business of harvesting and 
selling for transplant kidneys, corneas, and other human organs from 
executed prisoners who are thrown in prison with no trial or sentencing 
procedures.
  Imagine a country which maintains an extensive system of gulags--
slave labor camps--as large as existed in the former Soviet Union that 
are used for brainwashing and ``reeducation through labor.''
  That country is not imaginary. It is the People's Republic of China.
  I was appalled last year when the United States administration chose 
not to introduce a resolution condemning China at the U.N. Commission 
on Human Rights meeting in Geneva. We were told over and over again 
that China's human rights record was improving and that change was 
coming.
  The recently released State Department country reports on human 
rights unequivocally states that over the last year China didn't 
improve its human rights record. In fact, there was backsliding.
  I would like to share with you some facts from that 71-page report.

       The Chinese government has failed to demonstrate its 
     willingness to abide by the internationally accepted norms of 
     freedom of belief, expression, and association.
       Citizens lacked both the freedom peacefully to express 
     opposition to the political system or the right to change the 
     system.
       Violence against women (including imposition of a birth 
     limitation policy coercive in nature that resulted in 
     instances of forced abortion and forced sterilization) 
     continued.
       Last year alone the government executed more prisoners than 
     any other country.
       All over China Catholic Bishops and Priests are in jail, 
     some for decades at a time, simply for practicing their 
     faith.
       Over 250,000 persons are serving sentences in ``reeducation 
     through labor'' camps.
       As many as 2,000 people remained in prison for their 
     activities during the June 1989 Tiananmen demonstrations.
       The government used the international war on terror as a 
     justification for cracking down harshly on suspected Uighur 
     separatists.
       The government continues to deport thousands of North 
     Koreans, who face persecution upon their return.

  And the list goes on.
  China cannot fool the international community any longer. The Chinese 
Government continues to commit well-documented human rights abuses 
against the Chinese people.
  America must be a country that stands up for basic decency and human 
rights. America must speak out on behalf of those who cannot speak for 
themselves--men and women who are being persecuted on account of their 
religious or political beliefs.
  Our foreign policy must be a policy that helps promote human rights 
and freedom. Not a policy that sides with dictators who oppress their 
own citizens.
  The facts are before us. The United States can no longer say that 
things are improving in China.
  Each day we fail to speak out is another day that a Catholic Priest 
is arrested.
  Another day a Falun Gong practitioner is tortured. Another day that 
innocent voices are silenced.
  Will the United States step up as the leader of the free world and 
sponsor a resolution on China, or will the world sit by and watch China 
suppress its citizens for another year?
  How will history judge us? We must not be afraid to act.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield 3\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), chairman of the 
Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution 
that outlines the deplorable record of China's authoritarian regime, a 
regime which continues to systematically violate the most basic human 
rights of all of its people and the civil and political

[[Page H721]]

liberties of all of its citizens. State security personnel are 
responsible for extensive abuses such as political and extrajudicial 
killings, lengthy incommunicado detentions, and the use of torture. 
Police target certain dissidents for incarceration in psychiatric 
facilities, subjecting them to unspeakable punishment. National, 
racial, and ethnic minorities remain subject to intense persecution and 
discrimination. Thugs employed by the regime frequently launch 
campaigns to crack down on opposition and pro-democracy groups. Freedom 
of movement, speech, assembly, and association are severely restricted. 
The controls on religious worship have intensified. Church leaders and 
other faithful are harassed and repressed with fines, detentions, 
physical abuse and, yes, torture. Many houses of worship have been 
destroyed. Catholic and Protestant leaders and believers have been 
imprisoned or subjected to house arrest.
  This cowardly, dictatorial regime has harassed, imprisoned, and 
tortured members of the Falun Gong group, sending women, children and 
men to torture camps for doing nothing but exercising their most basic, 
fundamental rights of freedom of conscience and belief. This deplorable 
action by the Chinese authorities has included the brutal torture of 
followers, particularly women, who have been arrested, gang-raped, and 
brutally beaten. They have been demoted or dismissed from their 
employment. They have been held in prison. They have been sent to labor 
camps and psychiatric hospitals, all because they chose to live by the 
strength of their convictions and refused to renounce their beliefs.
  Additionally, trafficking in persons, mainly women and children, for 
forced prostitution or illegal forced labor continues, placing this 
segment of the population in constant risk of slavery. The gross 
violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Chinese 
regime and the deteriorating situation in China are highlighted in the 
Department of State's Human Rights Report released last week. The China 
report says: ``The government continued to commit numerous and serious 
abuses. There was backsliding on key human rights issues during the 
year.''
  The People's Republic of China must be held accountable for its 
deplorable actions. Constant pressure from the U.S. and the 
international community is vital if any improvements are to take place 
in China.
  Madam Speaker, we must support the Chinese people in their efforts 
and send a clear message to their oppressors that the U.S. is committed 
to the defense of democratic principles and human rights. This 
resolution before us is an important part of that strategy. As the U.S. 
delegation works to ensure debate on human rights conditions in China 
and to secure the votes for a resolution at the United Nations 
Commission on Human Rights calling on China to end its terrible human 
rights practices, let us show them our full support by voting in favor 
of the resolution in front of us, House Resolution 530.
  I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) as well as the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) for their steadfast support for the 
Chinese people to live free one day soon.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Cox).
  Mr. COX. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 530, which urges 
the representative of the United States to the 60th session of the 
United Nations Commission on Human Rights to introduce a resolution 
calling upon the government of the People's Republic of China to end 
its human rights violations.
  A year ago, the government of the PRC agreed to invite three 
international human rights organizations to China without conditions. 
Those three organizations were the U.S. Commission on International 
Religious Freedom, the U.N. Special Rapporteurs on Religious 
Intolerance and Torture, and the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary 
Detention. Two visits were scheduled, but the arrangement was that they 
were supposed to come without conditions and none of those visits has 
taken place precisely because of unacceptable preconditions imposed in 
violation of its own promises by the government of the People's 
Republic of China.
  The failure of the PRC government to follow through on its promises 
once again is instructive. First, it demonstrates the lack of 
commitment and good faith on the part of the PRC to acknowledge and 
improve the human rights conditions for the Chinese people. Second, it 
reveals a PRC strategy to assuage international concerns with bare 
rhetoric and deceptive practices in order to advance the political and 
economic interests of its rulers. Most importantly, it shows that 
additional pressure is necessary to improve human rights in the PRC.
  Several cases have been cited. In fact, the pattern of hundreds and 
thousands of cases has been cited during this debate. I will add just 
one more, the case of Dr. Yang Jianli, the U.S.-educated scholar of 
democracy. In June 2003, this House unanimously approved legislation 
calling for Dr. Yang's release. His case is one more example of the 
unwillingness of the PRC government to fulfill its promise, or to 
follow its own law. The PRC has held Dr. Yang Jianli, whose wife and 
children are citizens of the United States, without access to a lawyer, 
without the right to contact his family, and even without a court 
ruling against him. This indefinite detention is a violation of 
international standards and the PRC's own criminal law.
  Since 1997, the denial of basic rights is beginning to extend even to 
Hong Kong. Just today, we read in The Washington Post that the PRC is 
secretly holding a group of Hong Kong residents, including at least 
three British citizens, and prosecuting them for espionage. What have 
they done? According to The Post, the charges include discussion of the 
Tiananmen Square massacre. Madam Speaker, there are many people who 
should be prosecuted for the Tiananmen Square massacre, but they are 
most assuredly not citizens of China or British citizens living in Hong 
Kong; and they are not people who simply talk about this abomination. 
They are, instead, the rulers who perpetrated this assault on the 
Chinese people and who continue to occupy positions of high power in 
Beijing.
  We ask the government of the PRC to accomplish simple and humane 
goals: stop the persecution of religious practitioners; stop the forced 
return of Korean refugees to the totalitarian half of the peninsula; 
end forced abortions and forced sterilization of women; adhere to the 
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the U.N. 
Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman or 
Degrading Treatment or Punishment; and the 1951 Convention Relating to 
Refugees and its 1967 Protocol.
  Madam Speaker, today there appears in the news the fact that the 
People's Republic of China has announced it is going to change its 
constitution to include private property as a right of the Chinese 
people. In practice, the National People's Congress exists mainly to 
carry out the will of the party leadership; and if the party leadership 
will not observe its own laws, we can expect nothing to come of this as 
well.
  Article 35 of the existing state constitution proclaims that citizens 
of the PRC enjoy freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of 
association, of procession, and of demonstration; and that is a lie.

                              {time}  1500

  We are here today to urge our government to work to see to it that 
these lies come to an end and that the People's Republic of China 
honors the citizens of China with basic fundamental human rights.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of 
the time.
  I want to thank, first of all, the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Cox) of the Select Committee on Homeland Security for his very eloquent 
statement and to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and to 
the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) and the gentlewoman from 
Minnesota (Ms. McCollum) and especially to the gentleman from Illinois 
(Chairman Hyde), who is a very strong and steadfast supporter of human 
rights around the globe, including China, and of course the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Lantos), who also speaks out boldly on these 
issues.
  I would just say finally, Mr. Speaker, that one of the great leaders 
of the

[[Page H722]]

whole human rights movement in China is a man by the name of Harry Wu. 
Most people know about him. He is a man who has an impeccable 
reputation for honesty, for courage. He spent 19 years in the Chinese 
laogai system and suffered immensely for it. I will never forget when 
he helped us organize one of our first committee hearings when I 
chaired the Committee on International Operations and Human Rights on 
the laogai. He brought in six survivors of the laogai. One of those 
survivors was Palden Gyatso, a Buddhist monk who tried to get through 
security into the Rayburn Building bringing the instruments of torture 
that are routinely used and deployed to abuse prisoners in the laogai, 
including cattle prods and the like, horrible, horrific implements, and 
he was stopped, obviously, by the guards who were wondering what is 
this all about. We had to go down and usher him through. Those kinds of 
instruments, Mr. Speaker, are commonplace. Torture is commonplace.
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Cox) talked about all these 
promises that are made time after time. They sign covenants. They say 
they are going to do this. The Chinese government routinely does not 
follow through, and so it will be with the most recent property rights. 
They make promises, and routinely it is predictable they do not follow 
through. And I just want to pay a special tribute to Harry Wu for his 
great leadership.
  The ICRC has been trying for years, the Red Cross, to get into the 
Chinese prisons. They cannot get in because it is closed, because 
torture is routinely used against political and religious prisoners and 
against other prisoners as well. If they are arrested for just about 
anything, the way they get their conviction is to compel a confession 
out of them by torturing them.
  Let me also remind Members, too, and the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Cox) made mention of this as well, forced abortion is commonplace 
in China. Brothers and sisters are illegal. Women are compelled to have 
their children destroyed because they do not fit into a grandiose plan 
by this dictatorship. That too is an egregious human rights abuse. At 
the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal it was construed to be a crime 
against humanity. It is a crime against humanity in 2004 as it is 
practiced in the People's Republic of China. This resolution puts us on 
record against it and says let us take our case to the UN Human Rights 
Commission and hopefully we can garner sufficient votes to censure this 
despicable behavior. I hope we have unanimous support for this 
resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank, first of all, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Cox) of the Select Committee on Homeland Security for 
his very eloquent statement and to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. 
Ros-Lehtinen) and to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) and the 
gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum) and especially to the 
gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde), who is a very strong and 
steadfast supporter of human rights around the globe, including China, 
and of course the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), who also 
speaks out boldly on these issues.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the great leaders in the whole human rights 
movement in China is a man by the name of Harry Wu. Most people know 
about him. He is a man who has an impeccable reputation for honesty, 
persistence, and courage. He is a hero of democracy. He spent 19 years 
in the Chinese laogai system and suffered immensely for it. His witness 
is a rebuke to the hardliners in Beijing. I will never forget when he 
helped us organize one of our first committee hearings on PRC abuse 
back when I chaired the Committee on International Operations and Human 
Rights. The hearing was on the laogai. He brought in six survivors of 
the laogai. One of those survivors was Palden Gyatso, a Buddhist monk 
who tried to get through security into the Rayburn Building bringing 
the instruments of torture that are routinely used and deployed to 
abuse prisoners in the laogai, including cattle prods and the like, 
horrible, horrific implements. He was stopped, obviously, by the guards 
who were wondering what is this all about. We had to go down and usher 
him through. Sadly those kinds of torture instruments, Mr. Speaker, are 
commonplace in the PRC. Torture is commonplace.--An everyday 
occurrence.
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Cox) talked about PRC promises 
made but never kept. They sign covenants. They say they are going to do 
this. It makes good headlines. The Chinese government, however, 
routinely does not follow through, and so it will be with the most 
recent property rights announcement. They make promises, and it is 
predictable they do not follow through.
  The Internation Committee for Red Cross has been trying for years, to 
get into the Chinese prisons. To inspect and to hold the PRC to 
account. They cannot get in because it is closed, because torture is 
routinely used against political and religious prisoners and against 
other prisoners as well. If you are arrested for just about anything, 
watch out. The way PRC thugs get their conviction is to compel 
confessions out of the accused by torturing them.
  Let me also remind Members, too, and the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. 
Ros-Lehtinen) made mention of this as well, forced abortion is 
commonplace in China. Brothers and sisters are illegal because big 
brother in Beijing says so. Women are compelled to have their children 
destroyed because they do not fit into a grandiose plan of quotas and 
permission slips by the dictatorship. That too is an egregious human 
rights abuse. At the Nuremberg War Crimes Tribunal forced abortion was 
construed to be a crime against humanity. It is a crime against 
humanity in 2004 as it is practiced in the People's Republic of China. 
This resolution puts us on record against China's brutal one child per 
couple policy. This resolution admonishes the administration to take 
our case to the UN Human Rights Commission and work to garner 
sufficient votes to censure this despicable government behavior. I hope 
we have unanimous support for this resolution.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 
530, a bill that makes a strong statement of advocacy for human rights 
and urges the People's Republic of China to adhere to the principles of 
international law and respect for the fundamental human rights of 
individuals. This bill is timely in light of the equally urgent crisis 
that occurs today in Haiti.
  We must work to ensure that all of our international neighbors uphold 
the principles of international law. On July 9th of last year, I 
participated in a rally held on the Capitol lawn to uphold justice and 
freedom for the practitioners of the Falun Gong religion.
  As I stood that day to support the practitioners of Falun Gong and 
their unwarranted persecution, I stand today to request that Congress 
must insist that China adheres to worldwide standards on human rights 
and toleration.
  We as a nation have a unique relationship with the People's Republic 
of China, and we must take every action to maintain and foster that 
relationship. Yet we cannot overlook the injustices committed in that 
nation. The persecution of the Falun Gong, an organization whose three 
principles are truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, is a prime 
example of that very injustice I speak of.
  I must preempt my statement by clarifying that this bill will not 
serve to diminish the strength of our two great nations' relationship; 
rather it will cultivate an environment of peace and regional security. 
This bill will send the People's Republic of China a clear message that 
it must alter its current position on Human rights in order to be a 
true member of the world community.
  As one of our largest trading partners our relationship with China 
has become closer then ever. We are constantly building new bridges of 
communication; politically, socially, and economically. Yet we cannot 
be content with these developments. We cannot sit idly by while China 
forces women to abort their children and imprisons people based on 
their religious beliefs. The World Community has set general principles 
for human rights. The simple fact is that China is not meeting these 
standards.
  The fear of change and diversity has infected the minds of those who 
are in a position to wield power and physical strength. The situation 
will not change until we take a clear position condemning China for its 
human rights abuses.
  Because of our unique relationship with the People's Republic of 
China we have a strong footing upon which to make these claims. By 
working with China, with the explicit goals of improving human rights 
conditions in that country, we can make China a better, safer country 
and create a new and stronger relationship between the United States 
and China. Our demands that China meet internationally accepted levels 
for human rights will not serve to hinder China's development, rather 
it will enable China to flourish.
  I will end by saying that we as Americans have a duty to stand up for 
those who are less fortunate, for those who voices are forced into 
silence, and for those shackled down by tyranny. We espouse and will 
constantly fight for human rights, freedom of speech, and freedom of 
religion in this country as well as internationally. Join me in 
supporting H. Res. 530.
  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on 
International Relations and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and 
as a friend of the Chinese people, I am proud to be an original 
cosponsor of this resolution.

[[Page H723]]

  In the three decades since President Nixon made his historic trip to 
China, that country has undergone a remarkable transformation that all 
of us in this House should applaud.
  Gone are the Red Guards, the mass rallies, and the ubiquitous Mao 
Suits. Today's, young Chinese enjoy a far better standard of living 
than their parents. They are often dressed in stylish western fashions. 
They have access to western movies, books, and the Internet. Bicycles, 
once the primary means of transportation for millions of urban Chinese, 
are being replaced by scooters, motorcycles and growing numbers of 
cars.
  But, Mr. Speaker, there is one area where the China of 2004 is little 
changed from the China of 1972: the Chinese government's persistent and 
systematic abuse of the human rights of its citizens. Even as we deepen 
and broaden the commercial, diplomatic, and cultural ties with China, 
the United States must not sacrifice its commitment to freedom, 
democracy, the rule of law, human rights and religious freedom.
  Chinese prisons, labor camps, and psychiatric hospitals are filled 
with political prisoners. Fifteen years after the 1989 pro-democracy 
demonstrations in Tiananment Square, many protesters remain in prison 
and Beijing has continued its efforts to extinguish expressions of 
protest or criticism and have detained and sentenced scores of Chinese 
citizens associated with attempts to organize peaceful protests, to 
expose corruption, to preserve their ethnic minority identity, and to 
use the Internet for the free exchange of ideas.
  China's persecution of religious minorities has been especially 
cruel. China's small Christian population has been subject to 
persecution and many Catholic and Protestant leaders have been 
imprisoned or placed under house arrest. Practitioners of Falun Gong, 
which Chinese authorities denounce as an illegal cult, have been 
singled out for especially harsh treatment. Some Falun Gong adherents 
have been tortured to death in Chinese prisons; others have been sent 
to reeducation camps that have changed little since the days of the 
Cultural Revolution.
  Beijing's obsession with eradicating the Falun Gong has not been 
confined to China. The FBI is investigating possible links between the 
Chinese government and attacks upon Falun Gong practitioners here in 
the United States.
  The Chinese government has continued its brutal repression of Tibet. 
The whereabouts of the boy identified by the Dalai Lama as the 11th 
Panchen Lama are unknown. Tibetans caught displaying photos of this 
child or of the Dalai Lama face fines or imprisonment. Tibetan 
prisoners have been executed without due process and others remain on 
death row. Beijing continues to move ethnic Chinese citizens into Tibet 
in order to dilute and gradually extinguish the cultural and social 
identity of the Tibetan people.
  During the December 2002 session of the United States-China Bilateral 
Human Rights Dialogue, Beijing agreed to invite, without conditions, 
the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the 
United Nations Special Rapporteurs on Religious Intolerance and 
Torture, and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to 
visit China. None of these visits have taken place and, in the case of 
the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, two 
agreed upon trips were canceled because of unacceptable conditions 
placed on the visit by the Government of the People's Republic of 
China, including refusing the Commission entry into Hong Kong.
  China's refusal to live up to its promises to cooperate with American 
and United Nations human rights representatives is especially troubling 
as the United States decision not to introduce a resolution calling 
upon the People's Republic of China to end its human rights violations 
in China at last year's session of United Nations Commission on Human 
Rights in Geneva was based, in part, on the belief that the 
aforementioned agreements signaled a good faith commitment on the part 
of Chinese officials to improve human rights practice in China.
  In fact, since the last session of the United States-China Bilateral 
Human Rights Dialogue, a number of very troubling incidents have 
occurred, including: arrests of democracy advocates; the detention and 
torture of 18 Tibetans who were forcibly repatriated from Nepal with 
the cooperation of Chinese officials, in contravention of international 
law; ongoing forced repatriation of North Korean nationals, who upon 
return to North Korea will face almost certain arrest, torture, or even 
death; arrest and sentencing of Internet essayists and labor 
protesters; and the continued refusal to allow access by United States 
diplomats and family members of the accused to the trials of those 
detained for political or religious activities.
  China's continued abysmal human rights record has convinced me that 
Beijing will not take the necessary steps to improve its human rights 
record absent the external pressure and exposure of a U.S.-sponsored 
resolution in Geneva. The late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis 
famously said, ``Sunlight is the best disinfectant.'' The Chinese 
leadership will doubtless resist our efforts to open the shutters to 
allow that light to illuminate its repression, but I believe that China 
will be better for it in the end. The Chinese government would do well 
to remember that the eyes of the world will be focused on China in four 
years' time when Beijing hosts the 2008 Olympic Games. For China, 
readying itself to host the world must mean more than building an 
Olympic Village and sporting venues. China must also rise to meet the 
aspirations of the Olympic movement by dismantling the systems of 
repression that stifle dissent, free expression, and religious 
observance.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution.
  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle in urging the Members of this House to support this important 
Resolution.
  As I remarked in a speech on trade relations nearly four years ago, 
the most powerful nation on earth cannot ignore the most populous 
nation of earth. The United States, in my view, must use its best 
efforts to move the People's Republic of China toward democratic 
reform, market economics and the rule of law.
  However, even as we seek to engage the People's Republic on issues of 
mutual interest and concern, we have a continuing obligation, in my 
view, to hold the communist regime in Beijing accountable for its 
unjustified and indefensible human rights violations.
  Just today, Mr. Speaker, the Washington Post reported that China has 
detained a group of Hong Kong residents--including at least three 
British citizens--and has begun to prosecute them on espionage charges.
  One of the British citizens charged is accused of, among other 
things, discussing he 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre with a British 
agent.
  And it remains unclear how these British citizens are being 
prosecuted under Chinese law for activities that allegedly took place 
in Hong Kong before China resumed control of that territory.
  And just last week, the State Department's 2003 Human Rights Report 
Scored Beijing on this issue. The report stated:
  ``We began 2003 with hopes that the incremental but unprecedented 
progress in China seen in 2002 would be continued and expanded; 
however, throughout the year, we saw backsliding on key human rights 
issues. Arrests of democracy activists, individuals discussing subjects 
deemed sensitive by the Government on the Internet, HIV/AIDS activists, 
protesting workers, defense lawyers advocating on behalf of dissidents 
or the dispossessed, house church members and others seeking to take 
advantage of the space created by Chinese reforms increased.''
  In short, this Resolution urges the United States to introduce a 
resolution at the 60th Session of the U.N. Human Rights Commission that 
calls on China to end its human rights violations and to meet 
internationally recognized standards for human rights.
  Furthermore, it states that the United States should take the lead in 
organizing support for the passage of such a resolution, and that 
American officials continue to speak out against religious and 
political persecution in China, as well as coercive family planning 
practices, forced labor camps, the forced repatriation of North Korean 
nationals and other abuses.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleagues from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for 
introducing this Resolution. And I urge all my Members to support it.
  The People's Republic has made great economic progress over the last 
half century. But its persistent pattern of human rights abuses is a 
dark stain on its record. As a beacon of liberty and democracy, we have 
an obligation to ensure that it is held accountable for such abuses.
  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for 
yielding. I rise in support of H. Res. 530, and I'd like to commend my 
colleague, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, for sponsoring this important and 
timely resolution. This bill urges the U.S. Representative to the 60th 
Session of a the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to introduce 
a resolution calling upon the Government of the People's Republic of 
China to end its human rights abuses. H. Res. 530 also urges the 
People's Republic of China to safeguard fundamental human rights.
  Last year at the 59th Session of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights 
in Geneva, the United States did not sponsor a resolution on the 
People's Republic of China. The United States refrained from doing so 
in part because of commitments which the Government of China made to 
the United States during bilateral talks in December of 2002 that it 
would improve its human rights record and would allow greater access of 
international monitors into the country. However, these commitments 
were not fulfilled.

[[Page H724]]

  In fact, during the past year we witnessed continued disturbing 
trends in the human rights situation in China. Indeed, in last week's 
release of the State Department's annual Country Reports of Human 
Rights Practices, referring to China, it notes that, ``We saw 
backsliding on key human rights issues.''
  Unfortunately, there are far too many examples of their 
``backsliding.'' In January, Tibetan activist Lobsang Dhondup (Lob-sang 
Dun-op) was executed without due process. Arrests and harsh sentencing 
of democracy activists, critics on the Internet, and labor organizers 
continued throughout the year. And other than the lone release of 
Tibetan prisoner of conscience, Phuntsog Nyidrol (Putt-sok Nee-droo), 
last week--the day after the State Department's Country Reports on 
Human Rights Practices was released--there have been no recent releases 
of political prisoners. Further, religious adherents continue to be 
persecuted, and Falun Gong followers remain targeted by the government. 
Another area of grave concern is Beijing's forced repatriation of North 
Korean refugees in China and other human rights abuses directed against 
these refugees, including the trafficking of women and children.
  Mr. Speaker, the People's Republic of China must understand that 
increased bilateral cooperation in other areas, including security, 
does not in any way negate or lessen obligations to uphold basic human 
rights. I encourage my colleagues to support H. Res. 530.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Schrock). 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. 530, 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. Mr. 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.

                          ____________________