[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 13, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H551-H554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
UYGHUR POLICY ACT OF 2023
Mrs. KIM of California. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules
and pass the bill (H.R. 2766) to support the human rights of Uyghurs
and members of other minority groups residing primarily 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. 2766
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 2023''.
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 ethnic and religious minority groups in 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 has also signed the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights.
(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 Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious
minority groups.
(6) PRC authorities have supported an influx of Han Chinese
economic immigrants into the XUAR, implemented discrimination
against Uyghurs and other minorities in hiring practices, and
provided unequal access to healthcare services.
(7) 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.
(8) 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
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against Uyghurs and members of other minority communities in
the XUAR.
(9) 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 minority populations.
(10) 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.
(11) Reporting from international news organizations has
found that over the past decade, family members of Uyghurs
and other minority groups living outside of the PRC have gone
missing or been detained to force Uyghur expatriates to
return to the PRC or silence their dissent.
(12) 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.
(13) 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.
(14) Former detainees of PRC so-called ``political
reeducation'' centers 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.
(15) Popular discourse surrounding the ongoing atrocities
in the XUAR and advocacy efforts to assist Uyghurs remains
muted in much of the world, including in most Muslim majority
nations.
(16) Both Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Former
Secretary of State Michael Pompeo have stated that the PRC
government has committed genocide and crimes against humanity
against Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minorities in
the XUAR.
(17) 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. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Government of the People's Republic of China should
immediately open the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)
to regular, transparent, and unmanipulated visits by members
of the press, international organizations including the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights, academic and human rights research institutions, as
well as foreign delegations including from the United States
Congress;
(2) Government of the People's Republic of China should
recognize, and take tangible steps to protect and preserve,
the distinct ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic
identity of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious
minority groups in the XUAR;
(3) the Government of the People's Republic of China should
cease all government-sponsored crackdowns, imprisonments, and
detentions of people throughout the XUAR aimed at repressing
their ethnic, cultural, political, or religious identities;
(4) it is commendable for countries to provide shelter and
hospitality to Uyghurs and other minority group members in
exile, as Turkey, Albania, and Germany have done;
(5) urges all countries, especially fellow democracies and
those with sizeable Muslim populations, to condemn and
address the plight of Uyghurs and other minority communities
in the XUAR;
(6) the Government of the PRC should immediately and
unconditionally release all prisoners detained for their
ethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic identities, or
for expressing their political or religious beliefs in the
XUAR, including--
(A) Ekper 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'';
(B) Dr. Gulshan Abbas, a retired medical doctor and Uyghur,
who was wrongfully detained in the XUAR on September 11,
2018, and unjustly sentenced to 20 years in prison in
retaliation for her sister's advocacy for Uyghur human rights
issues; and
(C) Kamile Wayit, a university student and Uyghur, who was
wrongfully detained on December 12, 2022, after returning to
the XUAR while on break from studying during the winter
holiday;
(7) the Government of the PRC should facilitate access for
international humanitarian organizations, including the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies, to the ``political reeducation'' centers in the
XUAR to ensure prisoners are not being mistreated and are
receiving necessary medical care; and
(8) the United States Agency for Global Media should
continue to facilitate the unhindered dissemination of
information to the international community on issues
regarding the human rights and religious freedom of Uyghurs
and members of other minority groups in the XUAR.
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 and other ethnic and religious minority groups in the
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (in this Act referred to as
the ``XUAR'').
(d) Duties and Responsibilities.--The Special Coordinator
should, as appropriate--
(1) coordinate United State Government policies, programs,
and projects concerning the Uyghurs and members of other
ethnic and religious minority groups in the XUAR;
(2) vigorously promote the policy of seeking to protect the
distinct ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic identity
of the Uyghurs and other minority groups and seek improved
protection of human rights in the 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 from the XUAR.
(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 5 years after the date of the designation of the
Special Coordinator.
SEC. 5. FUNDING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES TO CONDUCT PUBLIC
DIPLOMACY IN THE ISLAMIC WORLD ON THE UYGHUR
SITUATION.
Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated for the U.S.
Speaker program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs of the Department of State, $250,000 for each of
fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026 is authorized to be made
available to support human rights advocates working on behalf
of the Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious
minority groups from the XUAR that are 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 global public diplomacy forums,
particularly those in which Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation countries and other Muslim-majority countries are
present, on issues regarding the human rights and religious
freedom of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious
minority groups persecuted in the PRC.
SEC. 6. ACCESS TO DETENTION FACILITIES AND PRISONS AND THE
RELEASE OF PRISONERS.
(a) Strategy on Political Reeducation and Detention
Facilities.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State should, in
consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal
departments and agencies, develop a strategy to cooperate
with like-minded partners to pressure the People's Republic
of China to--
(1) close all detention facilities and ``political
reeducation'' camps housing Uyghurs and members of other
ethnic minority groups in the XUAR;
(2) allow unhindered access to detention facilities and
``political reeducation'' camps in the XUAR by independent
media, researchers, international organizations and the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights for a comprehensive assessment of the human rights
situation; and
(3) protect human rights and preserve the distinct
religious and cultural identity of the Uyghurs and the other
religious and ethnic minority communities in the XUAR.
(b) Report on Strategy and Implementation.--Not later than
1 year after the date of
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the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall
submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate a report that includes--
(1) the strategy developed pursuant to subsection (a); and
(2) all the steps taken pursuant to the objectives
described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of such subsection.
SEC. 7. REQUIREMENT FOR UYGHUR LANGUAGE TRAINING.
(a) Uyghur Language Training and Staffing.--The Secretary
of State shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure
that--
(1) Uyghur language training is available to Foreign
Service officers as appropriate; and
(2) every effort is made to ensure that at least one
Uyghur-speaking member of the Foreign Service (as such term
is defined by section 103 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980
(22 U.S.C. 3903)) is assigned to each United States
diplomatic or consular post in China.
(b) Report.--No later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 2 years,
the Foreign Service Institute shall submit to the Committee
on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report that
outlines all the steps taken to implement subsection (a).
SEC. 8. UYGHUR CONSIDERATIONS AT THE UNITED NATIONS.
The President should direct the United States Permanent
Representative to the United Nations to use the voice, vote,
and influence of the United States to--
(1) oppose any efforts to prevent consideration of the
gross violation of internationally recognized human rights in
the XUAR in any body of the United Nations;
(2) 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) 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.
SEC. 9. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.
No additional funds are authorized to carry out the
requirements of this Act. Such requirements shall be carried
out using amounts otherwise authorized.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Kim) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms.
Manning) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
General Leave
Mrs. KIM of California. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend
their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Mrs. KIM of California. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of my legislation, H.R. 2766,
the Uyghur Policy Act of 2023.
The Uyghur Policy Act of 2023 comes at a critical time. Chairman Xi
is trying to rebrand Xinjiang as a business and tourist destination and
seeks to erase Uyghurs from the international community's memory.
The Chinese Communist Party 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.
Despite the CCP being exposed for these crimes, Chairman Xi is
doubling down. In a visit to the region recently, he called for
stricter regulations on the practice of religion and protection of
``hard-won stability.''
We are running out of time to act.
The Uyghur Policy Act of 2023 will help us lead from a position of
strength and will address several shortcomings in our existing approach
in 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 are better
coordinated to respond to the Uyghur genocide.
The United States must show, through words and through actions, that
we will have Uyghurs' backs in their fight against the CCP's tyranny.
H.R. 2766 mandates Uyghur language instruction at the Foreign Service
Institute and requires 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 the 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.
I thank Ranking Member Ami Bera of the Subcommittee on Indo-Pacific
for leading this legislation with me and the 106 bipartisan cosponsors
who helped me get this legislation to the House floor.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. MANNING. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2766, the Uyghur
Policy Act of 2023, as amended.
Madam Speaker, I thank my good friends, Representatives Young Kim and
Ami Bera, the chair and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Indo-
Pacific, for introducing this important bill, of which I am a proud
cosponsor.
Over the last several years, we have heard horrific accounts of the
genocide taking place in Xinjiang against Uyghurs and other ethnic
minorities.
Beijing has tried to hide its atrocities and prevent all of us from
discovering what is really happening in Xinjiang.
Despite Beijing's efforts, we cannot ignore what is happening in
Xinjiang. A 2022 report by the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights concluded that the extent of arbitrary
and discriminatory detention of members of the Uyghur and predominantly
Muslim groups . . . may constitute international crimes, in particular,
crimes against humanity,'' and that ``serious human rights violations
have been committed'' in Xinjiang.
Last Congress, the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing to
take heartbreaking testimony about the crimes being committed against
the Uyghur people in Xinjiang.
The committee passed a bipartisan resolution led by Chairman McCaul
and Ranking Member Meeks condemning the PRC's genocide in Xinjiang, as
well as passed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which President
Biden signed into law.
However, as long as Beijing's genocide continues, Congress must
continue to act. H.R. 2766 calls for the creation of a special
coordinator for Uyghur issues to protect the distinct identities of
Uyghurs and other minority groups in Xinjiang.
It also provides the State Department and our diplomats with tools to
enhance our diplomatic efforts and programs in support of those
suffering under the PRC's repression.
Madam Speaker, as Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to
speak out against clear violations of fundamental human rights around
the world.
This measure is a clear statement that the United States Congress
stands in support of Uyghurs and other religious and ethnic minority
communities in Xinjiang that are suffering under Beijing's
authoritarian and inhumane rule.
H.R. 2766 will ensure that the United States plays a leadership role
in holding the PRC accountable and in providing political and
diplomatic support for Uyghurs around the world.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R.
2766, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. KIM of California. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Ami
Bera for co-leading this legislation with me. I thank Chairman McCaul,
Ranking Member Meeks, and Representative Kathy Manning for their
support and the many human rights organizations who helped build
support for this bill.
Madam Speaker, I urge its passage, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I would like to express my
strong support for the Uyghur Policy Act, of which I am a proud
cosponsor.
But more than expressing strong support for this necessary piece of
legislation, all of us
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must continue to show strong support for the oppressed people of the
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and beyond.
This bill supplements both the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, passed
in the last Congress, and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, for
which I was the lead Republican cosponsor.
It is important that we call what the government of the People's
Republic of China is doing to the Uyghurs by what it is--genocide. The
bill does just that.
The bill also would create a special coordinator for Uyghur issues at
the State Department--something that I have long advocated for and
tried to pass, for a special envoy really. Such a 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 Kyrgyz.
Make no mistake, this 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. Forced abortion,
forced sterilization, and a whole host of human rights abuses are being
committed right up to this very moment.
We must not allow Xi Jinping to whitewash his crimes.
We cannot allow U.S. businesses and business leaders to subsidize his
genocide.
This bill keeps the spotlight on one of this century's greatest
crimes and I urge my colleagues to give it their strongest support.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 2766, 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.
Mrs. KIM of California. Madam 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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