[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 31 (Monday, February 23, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H1637-H1638]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            SECRETARY CLINTON'S MISSED OPPORTUNITY IN CHINA

  (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to add my voice to the chorus of 
human rights organizations who have expressed shock and disappointment 
at Secretary Clinton's comments during a recent Asia trip indicating 
that human rights will not be a priority in her engagement with China.
  We need to look no further than the Sharanskys and the Solzhenitsyns 
of recent history to know that bold and public proclamations on the 
importance of liberty, freedom and absence of repression are cause for 
great hope to those political prisoners who languish behind bars. Words 
have power, the power to inspire or deflate, to give vision or stifle 
hope. But for words to inspire the hope for a day when the Chinese 
people can worship freely, where the press is not censored, where 
political dissent is permitted, they must first be spoken.

[[Page H1638]]

  Silence itself is a message. Martin Luther King, Jr. said famously, 
``In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the 
silence of our friends.'' America has always been a friend to the 
oppressed, the persecuted, the forgotten. I pray our allegiance has not 
changed.
  This administration must make the solid rock of freedom their 
foundation, rather than the sinking sand of repression.

                                    Congress of the United States,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                Washington, DC, February 23, 2009.
     Hon. Hillary Rodham Clinton,
     Secretary of State,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Secretary Clinton: I write to share my dismay, also 
     voiced by a number of leading human rights organizations, at 
     your comments during your recent Asia trip indicating that 
     human rights will not be a priority in your engagement with 
     China. These statements come on the heels of the U.S. failing 
     to participate in the United Nations review of the human 
     rights record of China, among other worst offenders. Both are 
     deeply troubling commentary on this administration's 
     commitment to human rights, and are undoubtedly disheartening 
     for scores of Chinese citizens, including the imprisoned 
     Catholic bishops, persecuted house church leaders and 
     repressed Tibetan Buddhists.
       Certainly there is a place for pragmatism in diplomacy. It 
     may be that the Chinese government, when confronted with its 
     gross human rights violations, would dismiss U.S. concerns 
     and tell us not to interfere in their ``internal matters.'' 
     But we need look no further than the Sharanskys and 
     Solzhenitsyns of recent history to know that it is equally 
     pragmatic to believe that bold, public proclamations on the 
     importance of liberty, freedom, and the absence of repression 
     are cause for great hope to those political prisoners who 
     languish behind bars.
       In short, words have power. They have the power to inspire, 
     or deflate; they have the power to give vision or to stifle 
     hope. But for words to inspire the hope for a day when the 
     Chinese people can worship freely, where the press is not 
     censored, where political dissent is permitted--they must 
     first be spoken.
       Silence is itself a message. Martin Luther King Jr. 
     famously said, ``In the end, we will remember not the words 
     of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.'' America has 
     always been a friend to the oppressed, the persecuted, the 
     forgotten. Has our allegiance changed?
       Words are, of course, strengthened by policy, and policy is 
     shaped by personnel. You have a number of important decisions 
     before you in this regard: Will the new U.S. ambassador to 
     China be singularly focused on good bilateral relations, and 
     increased trade--or will that diplomat tirelessly work to 
     ensure that our embassy is an island of freedom in a sea of 
     repression? Will the assistant secretary for Democracy, Human 
     Rights and Labor be someone known and trusted by the human 
     rights community? Will the new ambassador for International 
     Religious Freedom worship with the underground church and 
     press the Chinese government to respect this first freedom?
       This administration is young and finding its sea legs. My 
     hope is that the solid rock of freedom will be your 
     foundation, rather than the sinking sand of repression.
       I urge you to change course, lest this country itself be 
     changed.
       I am reminded of a story told by Holocaust survivor Elie 
     Wiesel which speaks to this very point: ``One day a Tzadik 
     came to Sodom; He knew what Sodom was, so he came to save it 
     from sin, from destruction. He preached to the people. 
     `Please do not be murderers, do not be thieves. Do not be 
     silent and do not be indifferent.' He went on preaching day 
     after day, maybe even picketing. But no one listened. He was 
     not discouraged. He went on preaching for years. Finally 
     someone asked him, `Rabbi, why do you do that? Don't you see 
     it is no use?' He said, `I know it is of no use, but I must. 
     And I will tell you why: in the beginning I thought I had to 
     protest and to shout in order to change them. I have given up 
     this hope. Now I know I must picket and scream and shout so 
     that they should not change me.' ''
           Sincerely,
                                                    Frank R. Wolf,
     Member of Congress.

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