[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 11, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S994]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 SENATE RESOLUTION 497--COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF DR. LI WENLIANG AND 
  CALLING FOR TRANSPARENCY AND COOPERATION FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF THE 
      PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF CHINA

  Mr. COTTON (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Markey, and Mr. Gardner) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 497

       Whereas Dr. Li Wenliang was a 34-year-old ophthalmologist 
     working in Wuhan, China;
       Whereas research indicates that the first patient infected 
     with the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) exhibited 
     symptoms on December 1, 2019;
       Whereas, in December 2019, Dr. Li notified his associates 
     in the medical community in China about the outbreak of 2019-
     nCoV;
       Whereas, after raising concerns about the spread of 2019-
     nCoV, Dr. Li was summoned by Chinese officials and forced to 
     sign a statement retracting his warnings about the virus and 
     confessing that he had spread illegal rumors;
       Whereas Chinese government authorities played down dangers 
     to the public for weeks as 2019-nCoV continued to spread, 
     with more than 42,000 confirmed cases in China alone and at 
     least 1,000 deaths reported as of February 11, 2020;
       Whereas Dr. Li continued to work as an ophthalmologist at 
     Wuhan Central Hospital despite his knowledge of the outbreak, 
     and appears to have been infected himself with 2019-nCoV 
     after coming in contact with a patient he was treating for 
     glaucoma;
       Whereas, on the morning of February 7, 2020, in the 
     hospital where he worked, Dr. Li Wenliang died after 
     contracting 2019-nCoV;
       Whereas, before he passed away, Dr. Li stated, ``If the 
     officials had disclosed information about the epidemic 
     earlier, I think it would have been a lot better. There 
     should be more openness and transparency.'';
       Whereas the people of China expressed their grief and anger 
     on social media after the death of Dr. Li, with the phrase 
     ``I want freedom of speech'' emerging as a top trending topic 
     on the Weibo platform;
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     continues to limit free expression, and stepped up censorship 
     after online criticism and investigative reports by Chinese 
     journalists suggesting that officials underestimated and 
     underplayed the threat of 2019-nCoV;
       Whereas Freedom House has listed China as the ``worst 
     abuser of internet freedom'' in the world for the fourth year 
     in a row, and in the aftermath of the outbreak of 2019-nCoV, 
     there are numerous and well-documented instances of the 
     ``Great Firewall'' of China suppressing the free flow of 
     critical and medically important information about the 
     pandemic;
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     has endangered the people of Taiwan and people around the 
     world by using its influence to limit Taiwan's access to the 
     benefits of membership in the World Health Organization and 
     the International Civil Aviation Organization, particularly 
     during the current outbreak; and
       Whereas the World Health Organization has declared 2019-
     nCoV a Public Health Emergency of International Concern: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) honors the life and contributions of Dr. Li Wenliang, 
     and extends heartfelt sympathy to his family and to the 
     families of all who have passed during this outbreak;
       (2) expresses its support for the people of China as they 
     face this unprecedented public health challenge;
       (3) expresses gratitude to Dr. Li and all Chinese medical 
     personnel and citizens for their efforts to spread awareness 
     of 2019-nCoV and treat individuals who have contracted the 
     disease;
       (4) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of 
     China and the Communist Party of China--
       (A) to be open and transparent in investigating and 
     responding to 2019-nCoV;
       (B) to ensure that Chinese citizens and the international 
     community have free and unfettered access, without censorship 
     or social media controls, to information about 2019-nCoV;
       (C) to cooperate fully with the United States Government, 
     including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 
     providing medical access, sharing information, and developing 
     treatment to combat 2019-nCoV;
       (D) to cooperate fully with other governments, especially 
     those in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and other 
     regions whose health systems already face high burdens and 
     are operating from a lower base of capability, as well as 
     international health organizations in combating 2019-nCoV; 
     and
       (E) to cease efforts to exclude Taiwan from international 
     organizations, including the World Health Organization and 
     the International Civil Aviation Organization;
       (5) affirms the vital importance of Dr. Li's belief that 
     ``[t]here should be more openness and transparency'' in 
     China;
       (6) affirms that freedom of expression is a social good 
     that enables experts to sound public health warnings and 
     helps citizens ensure that their government addresses 
     weaknesses in crisis response; and
       (7) strongly supports the people of China in their demand 
     for freedom of speech.

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