[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 1, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E599]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CELEBRATING THE 90TH BIRTHDAY OF PROFESSOR JEROME A. COHEN

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                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 1, 2020

  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Professor 
Jerome Alan Cohen, the Founder and Faculty Director Emeritus of the 
U.S.-Asia Law Institute of the New York University School of Law. 
Professor Jerry Cohen is a true champion of human rights and the rule 
of law in China and today he is celebrating his 90th birthday with his 
family and friends.
  Professor Cohen is one of the foremost experts in Chinese law and 
government and he also serves as a Senior Fellow for Asia Studies at 
the Council on Foreign Relations. He has provided sage advice and wise 
counsel to international leaders, U.S. government officials, and 
Members of Congress throughout his illustrious career including in 
testimony to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
  Professor Cohen's extraordinary career on China began in the 1950s 
when he traveled to Hong Kong to interview with refugees and publish a 
book on Chinese criminal procedure. In the 1960s he created the East 
Asia Legal Studies Association at Harvard School of Law and was 
influential in securing the release of John T. Downey, a former 
classmate who had been held in a Chinese prison. In the following years 
he met with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai and accompanied Senator Ted 
Kennedy to Beijing to meet with Deng Xiaoping.
  Throughout the 1990s, Professor Cohen lived and worked in mainland 
China. After the Tiananmen Square protests, he established the U.S.-
Asia Law Institute at New York University School of Law, dedicated to 
facilitating the development of the rule of law throughout Asia. As a 
strong advocate for human rights, Professor Cohen led the way 
supporting political prisoners in China and helped secure the release 
of Song Yongyi and Chen Guangcheng. His former students include 
Taiwanese president, Ma Ying-jeou, and Annette Lu, former Taiwanese 
vice president under Chen Shui-bian.
  Professor Jerry Cohen has not only participated in the history of 
U.S.-China relations, he has shaped it. All those to advocate for human 
rights and the rule of law in China owe him a great debt of gratitude. 
Thank you, Professor Cohen for your exemplary service for humanity.

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