[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 30 (Monday, February 24, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1008-S1009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 361--RECOGNIZING THE THREATS TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS 
    AND EXPRESSION IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND URGING THE 
 GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA TO TAKE MEANINGFUL STEPS 
     TO IMPROVE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AS FITTING OF A RESPONSIBLE 
                       INTERNATIONAL STAKEHOLDER

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

                              S. Res. 361

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

[[Page S1009]]

       (1) reaffirms the importance of freedom of the press to 
     efforts by the United States Government to support democracy, 
     mitigate conflict, and promote good governance domestically 
     and around the world;
       (2) expresses concern about the threats to freedom of the 
     press and expression in the People's Republic of China;
       (3) condemns actions taken by the Government of the 
     People's Republic of China to suppress freedom of the press, 
     including the increased harassment of Chinese and 
     international journalists through denial of visas, harassment 
     of sources, physical threats, and other methods; and
         (4) urges the President to use all appropriate 
     instruments of United States influence to support, promote, 
     and strengthen principles, practices, and values that promote 
     the free flow of information to the people of China without 
     interference or discrimination, including through the 
     Internet and other electronic media.

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