[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.
____________________