[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 183 (Tuesday, November 29, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8633-H8637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1630
                       UYGHUR POLICY ACT OF 2021

  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the bill (H.R. 4785) to support the human rights of Uyghurs 
and members of other minority groups residing in the Xinjiang Uyghur 
Autonomous Region and safeguard their distinct identity, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4785

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Uyghur Policy Act of 2021''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) The People's Republic of China (PRC) continues to 
     repress the distinct Islamic, Turkic identity of Uyghurs and 
     members of other minority groups of the Xinjiang Uyghur 
     Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwestern China and other 
     areas of their habitual residence.
       (2) Uyghurs, and other predominantly Muslim ethnic 
     minorities historically making up the majority of the XUAR 
     population, have maintained throughout their history a 
     distinct religious and cultural identity.
       (3) Human rights, including freedom of religion or belief, 
     and respect for the Uyghurs' unique Muslim identity are 
     legitimate interests of the international community.
       (4) The People's Republic of China has ratified the 
     International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural 
     Rights and is thereby bound by its provisions. The PRC has 
     also signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
     Rights. Article One of both covenants state that all peoples 
     have the right to self-determination.
       (5) An official campaign to encourage Han Chinese migration 
     into the XUAR has placed immense pressure on those who seek 
     to preserve the ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic 
     traditions of the Uyghur people. Chinese authorities have 
     supported an influx of Han Chinese economic immigrants into 
     the XUAR, implemented discrimination against Uyghurs in 
     hiring practices, and provided unequal access to healthcare 
     services.
       (6) The authorities of the People's Republic of China have 
     manipulated the strategic objectives of the international war 
     on terror to mask their increasing cultural and religious 
     oppression of the Muslim population residing in the XUAR.
       (7) Following unrest in the region, in 2014, Chinese 
     authorities launched their ``Strike Hard against Violent 
     Extremism'' campaign, in which dubious allegations of 
     widespread extremist activity were used as justification for 
     gross human rights violations committed against members of 
     the Uyghur community in the XUAR.
       (8) PRC authorities have made use of the legal system as a 
     tool of repression, including for the imposition of arbitrary 
     detentions and for torture against members of the Uyghur 
     community and other populations.
       (9) Uyghurs and Kazakhs who have secured citizenship or 
     permanent residency outside of the PRC have attested to 
     repeated threats, harassment, and surveillance by PRC 
     officials.
       (10) Reporting from international news organizations has 
     found that over the past decade, family members of Uyghurs 
     living outside of the PRC have gone missing or been detained 
     to force Uyghur expatriates to return to the PRC or silence 
     their dissent.
       (11) Credible evidence from human rights organizations, 
     think tanks, and journalists confirms that more than 
     1,000,000 Uyghurs and members of other Muslim ethnic minority 
     groups have been imprisoned in ``political reeducation'' 
     centers.
       (12) Independent accounts from former detainees of 
     ``political reeducation'' centers describe inhumane 
     conditions and treatment including forced political 
     indoctrination, torture, beatings, rape, forced 
     sterilization, and food deprivation. Former detainees also 
     confirmed that they were told by guards the only way to 
     secure release was to demonstrate sufficient political 
     loyalty to the PRC Government and the Chinese Communist 
     Party.
       (13) Popular discourse surrounding the ongoing atrocities 
     in the XUAR and advocacy efforts to assist Uyghurs remains 
     muted in most Muslim majority nations around the world.
       (14) Both Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Former 
     Secretary of State Michael Pompeo have stated that the PRC 
     government has committed genocide and crimes

[[Page H8634]]

     against humanity against Uyghurs and other ethnic and 
     religious minorities in the XUAR.
       (15) Government bodies of multiple nations have also 
     declared that PRC government atrocities against such 
     populations in the XUAR constitute genocide, including the 
     parliaments of the United Kingdom, Belgium, Czechia, 
     Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Canada.

     SEC. 3. DECLARATIONS OF POLICY.

       Congress--
       (1) calls upon the Government of the People's Republic of 
     China to open the XUAR to regular, transparent, and 
     unmanipulated visits by members of the press, Members of 
     Congress, congressional staff delegations, the United States 
     Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues under section 4, and 
     members and staff of the Congressional-Executive Commission 
     on the People's Republic of China;
       (2) calls upon the Government of the People's Republic of 
     China to recognize, and seek to ensure the preservation of, 
     the distinct ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic 
     identity of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious 
     minority groups in the XUAR;
       (3) calls upon the Government of the People's Republic of 
     China to cease all government-sponsored crackdowns, 
     imprisonments, and detentions of people throughout the XUAR 
     aimed at those involved in the peaceful expression of their 
     ethnic, cultural, political, or religious identity;
       (4) commends countries that have provided shelter and 
     hospitality to Uyghurs in exile, including Turkey, Albania, 
     and Germany; and
       (5) urges countries with sizeable Muslim populations, given 
     commonalities in their religious and cultural identities, to 
     demonstrate concern over the plight of Uyghurs.

     SEC. 4. UNITED STATES SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR UYGHUR ISSUES.

       (a) In General.--There is authorized to be within the 
     Department of State a United States Special Coordinator for 
     Uyghur Issues (in this section referred to as the ``Special 
     Coordinator''), to be designated by the Secretary of State in 
     accordance with subsection (b).
       (b) Consultation.--The Secretary of State shall consult 
     with the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign 
     Affairs of the House of Representatives prior to the 
     designation of the Special Coordinator.
       (c) Central Objective.--The Special Coordinator should seek 
     to promote the protection and preservation of the distinct 
     ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic identities of the 
     Uyghurs.
       (d) Duties and Responsibilities.--The Special Coordinator 
     should, as appropriate--
       (1) coordinate United State Government policies, programs, 
     and projects concerning the Uyghurs;
       (2) vigorously promote the policy of seeking to protect the 
     distinct ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic identity 
     of the Uyghurs and seek improved respect for human rights in 
     the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR);
       (3) maintain close contact with Uyghur religious, cultural, 
     and political leaders, including seeking regular travel to 
     the XUAR and to Uyghur populations in Central Asia, Turkey, 
     Albania, Germany, and other parts of Europe;
       (4) lead coordination efforts for the release of political 
     prisoners in the XUAR who are being detained for exercising 
     their human rights;
       (5) consult with the United States Congress on policies 
     relevant to the XUAR and the Uyghurs;
       (6) coordinate with relevant Federal agencies to administer 
     aid to Uyghur rights advocates; and
       (7) make efforts to establish contacts with foreign 
     ministries of other countries, especially in Europe, Central 
     Asia, and members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, 
     to pursue a policy of promoting greater respect for human 
     rights and religious freedom for Uyghurs and other ethnic and 
     religious minority groups persecuted in the PRC.
       (e) Support.--The Secretary of State shall ensure the 
     Special Coordinator has adequate resources, staff, and 
     administrative support to carry out this section.
       (f) Deadline.--If the Secretary of State has not designated 
     the Special Coordinator by the date that is 180 days after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
     submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
     Senate a report detailing the reasons for the delay.
       (g) Termination.--This section shall terminate on the date 
     that is five years after the designation of the Special 
     Coordinator.

     SEC. 5. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD ON THE UYGHUR 
                   SITUATION.

       (a) Funding for Human Rights Advocates.--Of the amounts 
     authorized to be appropriated for the U.S. Speaker Program in 
     the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the 
     Department of State, $250,000 for each of fiscal years 2022, 
     2023, and 2024 is authorized to be available for human rights 
     advocates on behalf of the Uyghurs and members of other 
     ethnic and religious minority groups persecuted in the PRC, 
     whose names may be provided by the Department of State and 
     the United States Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues in 
     consultation with representatives of the global Uyghur 
     community, to speak at public diplomacy forums in 
     Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries and other 
     regions on issues regarding the human rights and religious 
     freedom of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious 
     minority groups persecuted in the PRC.
       (b) United States Agency for Global Media.--It is the sense 
     of Congress that the United States Agency for Global Media 
     should facilitate the unhindered dissemination of information 
     to Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries on issues 
     regarding the human rights and religious freedom of Uyghurs 
     and members of other minority groups in the XUAR.

     SEC. 6. ACCESS TO DETENTION FACILITIES AND PRISONS AND THE 
                   RELEASE OF PRISONERS.

       (a) Sense of Congress on Political Reeducation and 
     Detention Facilities.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
     United States Government should, in cooperation with other 
     like-minded countries, develop a strategy to--
       (1) pressure the People's Republic of China to immediately 
     close all detention facilities and ``political reeducation'' 
     camps housing Uyghurs and members of other ethnic minority 
     groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR); and
       (2) support the United Nations Commissioner for Human 
     Rights and numerous United Nations Special Rapporteurs' 
     urgent calls for immediate and unhindered access to detention 
     facilities and ``political reeducation'' camps in the XUAR by 
     independent international organizations and the Office of the 
     United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for a 
     comprehensive assessment of the human rights situation.
       (b) Sense of Congress on Prison Access and Prisoner 
     Release.--It is the sense of Congress that the President and 
     Secretary of State, in meetings with representatives of the 
     Government of the People's Republic of China, should--
       (1) request the immediate and unconditional release of all 
     prisoners detained for their ethnic, cultural, religious, and 
     linguistic identities, or for expressing their political or 
     religious beliefs in the XUAR;
       (2) seek access for international humanitarian 
     organizations, including the International Federation of Red 
     Cross and Red Crescent Societies, to prisoners in the XUAR to 
     ensure such prisoners are not being mistreated and are 
     receiving necessary medical care; and
       (3) seek the immediate release of all prisoners who have 
     been arbitrarily detained and sentenced without due process, 
     including Ekpar Asat, who participated in the Department of 
     State's International Visitors Leadership Program in 2016, 
     was incarcerated after returning to the XUAR, and is now 
     serving a 15 year prison sentence on charges of ``inciting 
     ethnic hatred and ethnic discrimination''.

     SEC. 7. REQUIREMENT FOR UYGHUR LANGUAGE TRAINING.

       The Secretary of State shall ensure that Uyghur language 
     training is available to Foreign Service officers as 
     appropriate, and that every effort is made to ensure that a 
     Uyghur-speaking member of the Foreign Service (as such term 
     is described in section 103 of the Foreign Service Act of 
     1980 (22 U.S.C. 3903)) is assigned to United States 
     diplomatic and consular missions in China.

     SEC. 8. UYGHUR CONSIDERATIONS AT THE UNITED NATIONS.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the United States Government should oppose any efforts 
     to prevent consideration of the issues related to the 
     Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in any body of the 
     United Nations;
       (2) the United States Government should oppose any efforts 
     to prevent the participation of any Uyghur human rights 
     advocates in nongovernmental fora hosted by or otherwise 
     organized under the auspices of any body of the United 
     Nations; and
       (3) the Secretary of State should instruct the United 
     States Permanent Representative to the United Nations to 
     support the appointment of a special rapporteur or working 
     group for the XUAR for the purposes of monitoring human 
     rights violations and abuses in the XUAR, and for making 
     reports available to the High Commissioner for Refugees, the 
     High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Human Rights 
     Commission, the General Assembly, and other United Nations 
     bodies.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Jacobs) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4785.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4785, the Uyghur Policy 
Act of 2021, sponsored by my committee colleague, Representative Young 
Kim.

[[Page H8635]]

  The world has watched in horror as the People's Republic of China has 
continued its genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and 
members of other religious and ethnic minorities in the Xinjiang 
region.
  The size and scale of the PRC's human rights abuses is horrific. As 
many as 1.8 million people have been arbitrarily detained in mass 
internment camps, prisons, and detention centers. They have shown no 
limits to their cruelty and depravity--subjecting people to forced 
labor, torture, political indoctrination, suppression of religious 
practices, forced sterilizations and abortions, family separation, 
sexual abuse, and so much more.
  While we have seen graphic images and heard testimony revealing the 
truth of these camps, the PRC continues to hide behind disinformation.
  We know that the PRC is actively trying to stamp out the unique 
ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic traditions of minorities in 
the Xinjiang region.
  Despite outrage from the global community, these gross atrocities 
have only increased in their severity and cruelty.
  Evidence collected from journalists, human rights defenders, and 
scholars, as well as harrowing firsthand accounts from survivors and 
their families, point to the continued oppression of Uyghurs and 
Muslims.
  During this Congress, this body has taken multiple steps to condemn 
these atrocities and hold the PRC accountable for perpetrating these 
heinous crimes. But we need to do more to protect the millions of 
Uyghurs and their way of life.
  By passing this important bipartisan legislation, we would strengthen 
U.S. Government efforts to protect and promote the distinct ethnic, 
religious, cultural, and linguistic identity of the Uyghur people.
  This legislation furthers a whole-of-government approach to combat 
the PRC's egregious human rights violations. It also takes steps to 
bolster international support towards promoting greater respect for 
human rights in the Xinjiang region.
  Most importantly, this legislation signals that the U.S. Congress 
unequivocally stands with the Uyghur people and will continue speaking 
out until this genocide and crimes against humanity ends.
  I thank Representative Kim for authoring this important bipartisan 
legislation, which I was proud to vote for in the Foreign Affairs 
committee.
  I support swift passage of this timely and urgent bill, and I urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in support 
of my bill, H.R. 4785, the Uyghur Policy Act.
  I thank Chairman Ami Bera of the Subcommittee on Asia, The Pacific, 
Central Asia, and Nonproliferation for leading this with me, as well as 
the 79 bipartisan cosponsors--Ms. Sara Jacobs from California being one 
of them. They all made consideration of this important bill possible.
  The Uyghur Policy Act comes at a critical time as the world is seeing 
past the Chinese Communist Party's censorship filters and sharing 
videos of thousands of people in China standing up and speaking out 
against strict lockdowns and against the CCP.
  Since Xi Jinping solidified his rule during the Communist Party 
Congress last month, anti-lockdown protests have erupted all over 
China, including in Xinjiang, where at least 10 people under COVID 
lockdown were killed in an apartment fire with their doors locked from 
the outside.
  The people of China are waking up to the CCP's oppression and are 
demanding basic freedoms. Whether it is lockdown of protestors in 
Shanghai, or Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, the 
United States must show through words and through actions that we will 
have their backs in their fight against the CCP's tyranny.
  The People's Republic of China continues to deny carrying out 
genocide against the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities, and we have 
verified reports of forced sterilization, forced labor, brainwashing, 
and gang rape in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
  The Uyghur Policy Act will help us lead from a position of strength 
and will address several shortcomings in our existing approach to 
responding to these human rights abuses. It authorizes the State 
Department to appoint a special coordinator for Uyghur issues, which 
will consolidate the State Department's diplomatic strategy to ensure 
that department-wide resources being used to respond to the Uyghur 
genocide are better coordinated.
  H.R. 4785 will also mandate Uyghur language instruction at the 
Foreign Service Institute and require the State Department to station a 
Uyghur-fluent officer at Mission China locations.
  The bill also authorizes support for Uyghur human rights activists 
and directs the U.S. Agency for Global Media to disseminate news and 
information regarding Uyghur genocide.
  We must act now to leverage U.S. soft power, garner international 
support for Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, and equip 
the State Department with the tools it needs to better respond to Xi 
Jinping's genocidal campaign.

  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who is a champion for human 
rights around the world, including for Uyghurs in China.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend for 
yielding me time.
  I am especially grateful that she has introduced the Uyghur Policy 
Act, which is particularly timely given the mass spontaneous protests 
we see arising in China.
  It is particularly pertinent, given that the spark for the popular 
demands for freedom was a horrific incident that occurred in Urumqi in 
the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where due to Xi Jinping's 
draconian zero-COVID lockdown policy, at least 10 people were burned to 
death with many, many more injured.
  The bill follows, I would point out, upon an amendment that I had 
offered at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs markup on June 30, 
2021, to the EGLE Act that called for the creation of a special envoy 
for the Xinjiang region. Such focus is particularly necessary, given 
the amount of repression directed by the Chinese Communist Party at the 
Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim Central Asian people, including 
the Kazakhs and the people from Kyrgyzstan.
  Xi's genocide--and it is Xi Jinping's genocide; he is directly 
responsible for this. We know that there are recordings of him saying, 
``show no mercy,'' as people are being dragged into concentration 
camps, as my two previous colleagues pointed out. Forced abortion, 
forced sterilization, and a whole host of human rights abuses are being 
committed each and every day, right up to this very moment, and it 
shows no signs of abatement.
  In short, this bill is timely. I believe it is necessary, and I urge 
my colleagues to give its strongest support.
  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the distinguished Speaker of 
the House.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and 
for her management of this very important legislation as a member of 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
  It is my honor to stand on this floor today in support of the Uyghur 
Policy Act and to join my colleague, Mr. Smith. For decades, Mr. Smith 
and I--as well as Frank Wolf and so many others--have been working 
together for human rights throughout the world. I thank him for his 
leadership and his remarks on this important legislation. Again, a 
strong step in our continued work to counter the genocide of the Uyghur 
people.
  In Xinjiang and across China, millions of Uyghurs and other Muslim 
minorities are enduring outrageous and barbaric abuses, from mass 
surveillance and discriminatory policing to mass incarceration in 
forced labor camps to mass torture, including solitary confinement and 
sterilization.
  In its latest Human Rights Report, our own State Department has 
unequivocally declared that the Chinese

[[Page H8636]]

Communist Party's persecution of the Uyghurs amounts to genocide and 
crimes against humanity.
  It is often said that one of the most sinister and cruel forms of 
torture employed by authoritarian regimes is to tell the oppressed: 
``Nobody even remembers you.'' They don't even know what the fuss is 
about.
  This Congress remains bipartisan, bicameral, unbreakable in our 
commitment to shining a bright light on the persecution of the Uyghurs.
  With this legislation, we send a powerful signal to the Uyghur 
people: America sees you; we stand with you; and we are fighting for 
you.
  And we send a resounding message to Beijing: This genocide must end 
now.
  My remarks go on to talk about the Uyghur Policy Act and what it 
does, in addition to what we passed in 2020, the Uyghur Human Rights 
Policy Act; in 2021, the Uyghur Forced Labor Protection Act. It 
includes the establishment of a Special Coordinator at State to 
spearhead the effort, which will ensure a laser focus on the brutal 
conditions facing the Uyghurs.
  For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has waged a campaign of 
cruelty, terror, and repression, from cracking down on the culture, 
religion, and language of Tibet, intimidating the people of Taiwan, to 
restricting basic freedoms in Hong Kong, to jailing journalists and 
dissidents; and more.
  We support and salute the courageous citizens across mainland China 
who are in the streets today speaking out for their freedom.
  I join freedom-loving people around the world supporting the Chinese 
people for exercising this Fundamental right to make their voices 
heard.
  Yet let us not forget how the government of China has often responded 
to these demonstrations with a heavy hand: whether in Tiananmen in 1989 
or more recently against those marching for their rights in Hong Kong.
  The past must not be precendent for Beijing's response to this wave 
of peaceful protests.
  As I always say: if we do not speak out for human rights in China 
because of commercial interests, we lose all moral authority to speak 
out for human rights anywhere.
  This is America's moral imperative--and today, we take another step 
to honor this charge today with the legislation before us
  I urge a strong, bipartisan yes vote on the Uyghur Policy Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of legislation, H.R. 9308, 
honoring a legendary leader in Congress, Susan Davis, my dear colleague 
from San Diego.
  Susan Davis began her career in public service in her beloved San 
Diego: First in social work, then on the historic school board, then 
the State Assembly; and now, the Armed Services Committee, Committee on 
Education and Labor of the House of Representatives.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge a strong bipartisan ``yes'' for this bill 
honoring Susan Davis, and also for the Uyghur Policy Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I again thank our colleagues for bringing these pieces 
of legislation to the floor, and I urge a ``yes'' vote on both.
  Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, seeing no other Members on my 
side, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I again thank Asia Subcommittee Chairman Ami Bera, 
Speaker Pelosi, my colleague, Representative Smith, and the many 
cosponsors who helped bring this legislation to the floor.
  I am pleased that the House of Representatives, in the spirit of 
bipartisanship, is taking a significant step in defending the human 
rights of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities subject to the CCP's 
oppression and genocide.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting 
``yes,'' and I urge the Senate to immediately take up this critically 
important legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACOBS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume for the purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, passing H.R. 4785, the Uyghur Policy Act of 2021, would 
send a message loud and clear that the PRC's inhumane policies to 
dilute and destroy the identity of the Uyghur people have no place in 
today's world.
  The United States stands firmly with the Uyghur people and we will 
continue pushing to end the PRC's horrific and inhumane behavior.
  We need to show strong bipartisan House support to the administration 
to use its tools to help protect the Uyghur culture and identity and 
promote respect for human rights and religious freedom of Uyghurs and 
members of other minority groups in China.
  The House also stands in strong solidarity with the Chinese people 
protesting all over China in recent days.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4785, the 
Uyghur Policy Act of 2021, a bill that addresses the human rights 
issues concerning the Uyghurs and other minority groups in the Xinjiang 
Uyghur Autonomous Region in China.
  The Uyghur Policy Act would authorize the establishment of a Special 
Coordinator for Uyghur Issues position within the Department of State.
  The bill would also allow the State Department's Bureau of 
Educational and Cultural Affairs make certain funds available to human 
rights advocates working on behalf of Uyghurs and members of other 
minority groups.
  The funds, if made available, shall be used to facilitate the 
presence of such human rights advocates at public diplomacy forums to 
speak on issues related to the human rights and religious freedoms of 
minority groups in Xinjiang.
  Mr. Speaker, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, the 
Government of the People's Republic of China has, since 2017, 
arbitrarily detained as many as 1.8 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, 
and members of other Muslim minority groups in a system of 
extrajudicial mass internment camps.
  Additionally, the Chinese government has arbitrarily detained many in 
formal prisons and detention centers, and has subjected detainees to 
forced labor, torture, political indoctrination, and other severe human 
rights abuses.
  Forced labor exists within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region's 
system of mass internment camps, and throughout the region.
  These assertions have been confirmed by the testimony of former camp 
detainees, satellite imagery, official media reports, publicly 
available documents, official statements, and official leaked documents 
from the Government of the People's Republic of China as part of a 
targeted campaign of repression of Muslim ethnic minorities.
  These atrocious acts are indicative of a state sponsored systematic 
effort to eradicate the ethnic and cultural identity and religious 
beliefs of religious minorities in China.
  Recent reports have also indicated that the Chinese Government is 
aiming to prevent the births of, Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs and Kyrgyz, 
and members of religious minority groups.
  Recent data has shown a significant drop in birth rates among Uyghurs 
due to enforced sterilization and enforced abortion.
  Indeed, the birth rate in the Xinjiang region fell by 24 percent in 
2019 compared to a 4.2 percent decline nationwide.
  In addition, there are credible reports of the Peoples Republic of 
China's Government campaigns to promote marriages between Uyghurs and 
Han and to reduce birth rates among Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims.
  It has also been reported that many Uyghurs have been assigned to 
factory employment under conditions that indicate forced labor, and 
some former detainees have reported food deprivation, beatings, 
suppression of religious practices, family separation, and sexual 
abuse.
  Reporting from international news organizations has found that over 
the past decade, family members of Uyghurs living outside of China have 
gone missing or been detained to force their return to China or silence 
dissent.
  Mr. Speaker, on January 19, 2021, the Department of State determined 
the Peoples Republic of China's Government, under the direction and 
control of the Chinese Communist Party, has committed crimes against 
humanity and genocide against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious 
minority groups in Xinjiang.
  The Chinese government must answer for the barbaric acts of terror 
they have afflicted on their own people.
  H.R. 4785 the Uyghur Policy Act of 2021 call for the Government of 
the People's Republic of China to open the XUAR to regular visits by 
United States Members of Congress, Congressional staff delegations, the 
United States Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues under section 4, 
and members and staff of the Congressional-Executive Commission on the 
People's Republic of China to monitor the human rights violations and 
abuses occurring in Xuar.
  As members of the United States Congress, we must use our voice to 
condemn, monitor and oppose the atrocities occurring in China.
  I and this chamber stand with the Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs and Kyrgyz, 
and members of

[[Page H8637]]

other religious minority groups in China being terrorized by their own 
governments.
  I encourage all my colleagues to support H.R. 4785--Uyghur Policy Act 
of 2021 to promote justice globally.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4785, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. BIGGS. 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, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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