[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 10807-10813]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       CONCERNING TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF TIANANMEN SQUARE MASSACRE

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 178) concerning the tenth anniversary of the 
Tiananmen Square massacre of June 4, 1989, in the People's Republic of 
China.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 178

       Whereas the United States was founded on the democratic 
     principle that all men and women are created equal and 
     entitled to the exercise of their basic human rights;
       Whereas freedom of expression and assembly are fundamental 
     human rights that belong to all people and are recognized as 
     such under the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and 
     the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
       Whereas the death of the former General Secretary of the 
     Communist Party of the People's Republic of China, Hu 
     Yaobang, on April 15, 1989, gave rise to peaceful protests 
     throughout China calling for the establishment of a dialogue 
     with government and party leaders on democratic reforms, 
     including freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and the 
     elimination of corruption by government officials;
       Whereas after that date thousands of prodemocracy 
     demonstrators continued to protest peacefully in and around 
     Tiananmen Square in Beijing until June 3 and 4, 1989, until 
     Chinese authorities ordered the People's Liberation Army and 
     other security forces to use lethal force to disperse 
     demonstrators in Beijing, especially around Tiananmen Square;
       Whereas nonofficial sources, a Chinese Red Cross report 
     from June 7, 1989, and the State Department Country Reports 
     on Human Rights Practices for 1989, gave various estimates of 
     the numbers of people killed and wounded in 1989 by the 
     People's Liberation Army soldiers and other security forces, 
     but agreed that hundreds, if not thousands, of people were 
     killed and thousands more were wounded;
       Whereas 20,000 people nationwide suspected of taking part 
     in the democracy movement were arrested and sentenced without 
     trial to prison or reeducation through labor, and many were 
     reportedly tortured;
       Whereas human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch, 
     Human Rights in China, and Amnesty International have 
     documented that hundreds of those arrested remain in prison;
       Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China 
     continues to suppress dissent by imprisoning prodemocracy 
     activists, journalists, labor union leaders, religious 
     believers, and other individuals in China and Tibet who seek 
     to express their political or religious views in a peaceful 
     manner; and
       Whereas June 4, 1999, is the tenth anniversary of the date 
     of the Tiananmen Square massacre: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) expresses sympathy to the families of those killed as a 
     result of their participation in the democracy protests of 
     1989, as well as to the families of those who have been 
     killed and to those who have suffered for their efforts to 
     keep that struggle alive during the past decade;
       (2) commends all citizens of the People's Republic of China 
     who are peacefully advocating for democracy and human rights; 
     and
       (3) condemns the ongoing and egregious human rights abuses 
     by the Government of the People's Republic of China and calls 
     on that government to--
       (A) reevaluate the official verdict on the June 4, 1989, 
     Tiananmen prodemocracy activities and order relevant 
     procuratorial organs to open formal investigations on the 
     June fourth event with the goal of bringing those responsible 
     to justice;
       (B) establish a June Fourth Investigation Committee, the 
     proceedings and findings of which should be accessible to the 
     public, to make a just and independent inquiry into all 
     matters related to June 4, 1989;
       (C) release all prisoners of conscience, including those 
     still in prison as a result of their participation in the 
     peaceful prodemocracy protests of May and June 1989, provide 
     just compensation to the families of those killed in those 
     protests, and allow those exiled on account of their 
     activities in 1989 to return and live in freedom in the 
     People's Republic of China;
       (D) put an immediate end to harassment, detention, and 
     imprisonment of Chinese citizens exercising their legitimate 
     rights to the freedom of expression, freedom of association, 
     and freedom of religion; and
       (E) demonstrate its willingness to respect the rights of 
     all Chinese citizens by proceeding quickly to ratify and 
     implement the International Covenant on Civil and Political 
     Rights which it signed on October 5, 1998.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).


                             General Leave

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Pelosi) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) for drafting this 
important legislation. I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Lantos) for his support of the legislation.
  I strongly support House Resolution 178, a resolution concerning the 
10th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre of June 4, 1989, in 
the People's Republic of China. Our government's policy concerning the 
People's Republic of China has failed to promote human rights in China.

                              {time}  1145

  It has failed to promote our national security and failed to ensure a 
modicum of trade fairness.
  The arrest, the executions, the torture and imprisonment of 
prodemocracy activists in China, occupied Tibet and East Turkestan 
continue unabated. The government in Beijing is just as determined as 
ever to distort the truth and prevent that truth from getting out.
  Just yesterday the Washington Post reported that, in an effort to 
ensure that there are no demonstrations regarding the anniversary of 
the massacre, they arrested Yang Tao, a student leader of the 1989 
demonstrations.
  One campaigner who has led the effort to give compensation for and 
urged a government apology to the families of the victims of the 
massacre has been under virtual house arrest since May 4.
  An AP report mentioned that Beijing is trying to stop internet news 
in China

[[Page 10808]]

regarding the massacre in Tiananmen Square.
  But coming to grips with reality is not just a problem facing 
Beijing. For too long, we have failed to respond adequately to the 
challenge of the People's Republic of China represents.
  We hope that with the release of the Cox Report today, our Nation 
will begin to address this serious issue. Accordingly, I urge my 
colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me at the outset commend the gentlewoman from San 
Francisco, California (Ms. Pelosi) for her leadership on this issue, as 
well as the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Porter), and many 
others.
  Mr. Speaker, it is important to take a moment to remember Tiananmen 
Square. Ten years ago on the 4th of June, thousands and thousands of 
democratically inclined students and citizens of China demonstrated 
peacefully. On that fateful day, the full force of the Chinese military 
and security apparatus came down on them with brutality and ferocity of 
incredible proportions.
  Thousands were killed. Tens of thousands were injured. Thousands were 
imprisoned. There came a dark night in China for all who were hoping 
for some measure of human rights.
  When we introduced this legislation to commemorate the 10th 
anniversary of this outrage against all standards of civilized conduct, 
we merely wanted to do just that, to call attention to the fact that 10 
years ago, this outrage occurred.
  But there is an additional outrage that occurred just a few weeks ago 
which I believe is highly relevant to this resolution. When the United 
States, by mistake, bombed the Embassy of China in Belgrade, the 
Chinese Government engaged in a degree of cynical and hypocritical 
manipulation of both its own public opinion and global public opinion.
  They never told the Chinese people that NATO's air strikes were in 
response to the killing and mass rape and expulsion of over a million 
and a half ethnic Albanians. When this mistake occurred, for which the 
United States apologized at the highest levels, they claimed that the 
hit on the Embassy of China in Belgrade was not a mistake but a 
deliberate act of atrocity.
  This, Mr. Speaker, underscores the obvious fact. This Communist 
totalitarian dictatorship has not changed since that fateful day on 
June 4, 1989. It continues to lie, to fabricate to its own people and 
to the rest of the world.
  By this attempt, it tries to equate morally the deliberate killing of 
thousands of democracy-loving Chinese citizens at Tiananmen Square with 
the inadvertent killing of three innocent journalists at the embassy in 
Belgrade. The civilized world will not allow this attempt at moral 
equivalence to succeed.
  The Chinese Communist government stands self-condemned before the 
court of global public opinion, both for what it did at Tiananmen 
Square 10 years ago and what it has been doing the last few weeks, 
attempting to destroy the functioning Embassy of the United States in 
Beijing, encouraging mobs of Chinese to attack the embassy, to keep its 
staff and our ambassador captive, and to engage in the most cynical 
manipulation of its media and the media of the world.
  We are here to commemorate the fallen heroes of Tiananmen Square. 
When my colleagues come to my office, Mr. Speaker, in the entry hall 
there is that forever to be remembered poster of a single unarmed 
Chinese student facing down a column of tanks, the most poignant 
reminder of human courage and dignity against overwhelming odds.
  While that student may have been killed, as were thousands of others, 
the cause of freedom has not been extinguished in China. The future 
belongs to the students and citizens of China who, even under these 
impossible conditions, are insisting on freedom of speech, freedom of 
press, freedom of religion, the right to make their own decisions about 
their own future.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to vote for this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), and I ask unanimous consent that 
he be permitted to control that time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Sununu). Is there objection to the 
request of the gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am particularly delighted to yield as much 
time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. 
Pelosi), who has been a leader on this issue for many years in the 
Congress.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for 
yielding me this time and for his very generous comments. They are 
reciprocated by me in terms of his leadership on this issue for the 
past 10 years, really for his whole life, as a champion of human rights 
throughout the world.
  I want to also thank the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Gilman), chairman of the Committee on International Relations, for his 
steadfastness.
  Ten years have gone by, and we have been working on this issue a 
very, very long time. I wish the outcome, this 10 years later, would be 
a better one to report on human rights in China. But I thank the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) for his leadership over the years 
and in the recent days in moving this legislation out of the committee. 
I appreciate that very much.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. PELOSI. I am pleased to yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, we cannot thank the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Pelosi) enough for her continued, diligent effort in 
reminding the entire Congress of the violations of human rights in 
China, particularly when we discussed most favored nation with China. I 
hope our colleagues will be reminded of that in our next debate on most 
favored nation for China.
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, one of the most enduring 
images of the 20th Century is the picture of the lone man before the 
tank in Tiananmen Square. The distinguished gentleman from San 
Francisco, California (Mr. Lantos) mentioned it as an icon that is in 
the entrance of his office.
  It is a constant reminder to all of us of the courage of the young 
people in Tiananmen Square, and of course of the sadness that the human 
rights situation has not improved in China yea these many years.
  In fact, the policy of our country which was to provide trickle down 
liberty. If economics goes well and trade goes well, then the political 
freedom will follow. That simply has not happened. In fact, for all of 
our concessions to the Chinese, our trade deficit has gone from, $2 
million when we started this debate, to this year when it will be well 
over $60 billion with China.
  The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by China still 
continues, no matter what anyone tells us. Of course we are witnessing 
the abuse of the good nature of our President with the violations by 
the Chinese on proliferation, trade, and the continuing violations of 
the human rights of people there.
  As a tribute to the brave dissidents who gave their lives, risked 
their personal security, and continue to do so in China, and in 
commemoration of the 10-year anniversary of the Tiananmen Square 
massacre, I was pleased to join my colleagues, some of who are present 
here, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith), the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Porter), the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt), the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Cox), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bonior), the 
gentleman from

[[Page 10809]]

Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson), and others who, being lead sponsors on 
this resolution. A resolution that is not about economics, it is not 
about politics, it is about remembering.
  It is about remembering the challenge that these young people 
undertook in the spring of 1989. Millions of Chinese students and 
workers across China demonstrated peacefully for freedom of expression 
and the elimination of corruption by government officials.
  On June 3, the Chinese regime responded to these peaceful 
demonstrations by ordering the People's Liberation Army to use lethal 
force on the protesters around Tiananmen Square. Hundreds, if not 
thousands, we do not know the number because the Chinese Government 
will not give us access to that, were slaughtered in that night of 
horror. Thousands more were injured, and over 20,000 prisoners of 
conscience were arrested and sentenced without trial, to prison, to 
labor camps, and to years of torture.
  Prisoners of conscience tell us that one of the most extricating 
painful forms of torture occurs when the perpetrators of their torture 
tell them that no one even knows about them, cares about them, or cares 
about the cause for which they are in prison.
  The purpose of our legislation, which has strong bipartisan support 
in the House, I am pleased to cosponsor the legislation with my 
colleague whom I respect so much, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. 
Wolf), has strong bipartisan support in the House and in the United 
States Senate. The purpose of this legislation is to tell the prisoners 
and their torturers and the Chinese regime and the world that the 
American people remember.
  We remember the brave students who modeled their Goddess of Democracy 
after our own Statue of Liberty. We remember how the brave students 
echoed the words of our Founding Fathers in their courageous appeals to 
the regime. We remember the regime's responding with guns and tanks to 
crush the peaceful demonstrations. We remember today the many political 
prisoners who still languish these 10 years later in Chinese prisons.
  Our legislation parallels the petition being circulated by the 
Tiananmen leader Wang Dan and the global campaign for the anniversary 
of June 4. The petition calls on the Chinese Government to reverse the 
verdict of Tiananmen Square, to free the prisoners, to allow them and 
all Chinese to speak freely, and to allow for the return of the Chinese 
exiles.
  The petition has been endorsed by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty 
International, and International Pen, to name a few organizations.
  On the day we introduced our Tiananmen resolution, the Chinese 
Government arrested dissidents for planning to distribute leaflets 
seeking redress for the massacre. The location of these pro-democratic 
activists is still unknown. That same day, a member of the banned China 
Democratic Party was beaten and stripped of his clothes by the police 
for merely speaking about democracy in a public park.
  At the same time, the regime, speaking through a signed editorial in 
the People's Daily, the official Chinese newspaper, claimed that 
overseas dissidents, exiles, and escapees are ``crowing'' at the 
``murder'' of their compatriots who died in the NATO bombing of the 
Chinese Embassy in Belgrade.
  What a pathetic commentary on the Beijing regime, that it feels 
threatened by dissidents in China and abroad!

                              {time}  1200

  The regime has the power of their military and security forces at 
home and they have their economic partners abroad and supporters, 
including the U.S. Government, bowing to their every whim, and yet they 
are still frightened.
  And speaking of the U.S. Government, while we have bowed to their 
every whim, sad to say, the Chinese have not returned any friendship to 
the Clinton administration.
  As the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) pointed out, when the 
stupid mistake of bombing the embassy occurred, the President 
apologized and apologized and apologized and apologized, but his 
friends in the regime whom he visited and gave great face to last year, 
would not even let the Chinese people know that the President had 
apologized. And they participated in the orchestration of rocks being 
thrown at our embassy for 3 days, one of our consulates being set on 
fire, and the ambassador, in his own words, being a hostage in the 
embassy. This, after we have, as a government, catered to their every 
whim.
  And I might say that the President's apology was exceptional, because 
we usually do not apologize when we do not do something intentional. 
This was a mistake; it was not intentional.
  It might be of interest to our colleagues to know that when 20 
Europeans were killed in a ski lift accident, which occurred in Italy, 
the United States of America expressed regret. And when we had the 
problem in Iran, when we mistakenly killed Iranian civilians, President 
Reagan expressed regret. So an apology is an intensified response to 
this accidental and mistaken bombing. The Chinese Government would not 
even accept what the President of the United States was stooping to in 
this case.
  I certainly think the Chinese people deserve to be apologized to or 
have our regrets extended to them. We should make reparations, we 
should investigate how the bombing took place, but we should not extend 
any favors to them on the economic front like premature entry into the 
WTO unless under commercially viable terms, and we should not ignore 
their continued violations of human rights in China.
  Our President went to China last year. He went to the extreme step of 
leading the People's Liberation Army band with a baton. He gave face to 
the regime and came back with a message that this was going to help 
improve democratic freedoms in China. It has not. It has not.
  On the heels of the President's visit, people who supported the China 
Democracy Party felt emboldened, spoke out, and they are now in prison.
  I know I have taken a great deal of time, but with the Chairman's 
indulgence, I would like to read some of the names of the people still 
in prison right now. Xu Wenli, for example, a leader of the China 
Democracy Party was arrested immediately upon speaking out. In addition 
we are remembering about people who are still in prison 10 years later 
for their activities at the time of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. 
Cao Yingyuan, Chang Jingqiang, Chang Yongjie, Chen Dongxiang, Chen 
Qiulong, Chen Yanbin. And it is a long, long, long list, Mr. Speaker, 
and I am going to submit it for the Record. It is a list compiled by 
Human Rights in China, an organization dedicated to freeing the 
prisoners arrested at that time.


                         human rights in china

 Beijing Citizens Still in Prison in Connection With 1989 June Fourth 
                               Crackdown

       Ten years after the Beijing Massacre and subsequent 
     crackdown, hundreds remain in prison for their role in the 
     1989 protests. The list below contains the names of 144 
     individuals from Beijing alone who are serving lengthy prison 
     sentences for their participation in the 1989 democracy 
     movement.
       This information was primarily compiled by Li Hai, 44, a 
     former Beijing student who was arrested in 1995 for making 
     the list public. He was subsequently sentenced to a nine-year 
     prison term for ``prying into and gathering'' ``state 
     secrets.''
       The individuals listed below include a wide variety of 
     Beijing residents--from peasants, security guards and factory 
     workers to engineers and cadres in the State Planning 
     Commission. At the time of their arrest, they ranged in age 
     from 17 to 71. In the official propaganda, these 
     demonstrators were called ``rioters,'' and were charged with 
     ``arson,'' ``hooliganism,'' ``disturbing social order,'' and 
     other criminal offenses. For the most part they are people 
     who were seen on television screens around the world in May 
     1989, marching in the streets, blocking the path of the 
     troops entering the city with improvised barricades, running 
     through the streets on the night of June 3-4, and throwing 
     rocks and paving stones at tanks and armed personnel 
     carriers. Many are thought to have been detained merely 
     because they were out on the streets. In general, these 
     people were brought to trial more quickly and received more 
     severe sentences than did the prominent students and 
     intellectuals who were arrested. The average sentence of 
     those not given life terms is approximately thirteen years.

[[Page 10810]]

       Li Hai, the persons on this list, and the many other 
     ``namesless'' individuals jailed throughout China in 
     connection with the 1989 crackdown might not be as 
     internationally well-known as some dissidents, but their 
     lives and liberty are equally significant.
       Human Rights in China submits the following list to 
     President Clinton for presentation to Prime Minister Zhu 
     Rongji during his visit.
       Human Rights in China urges the Chinese government to 
     demonstrate its commitment to making genuine improvements in 
     the human rights situation by releasing all of the prisoners 
     on this list, as well as the thousands of other political and 
     religious detainees throughout China.


   list of beijing citizens still in prison in connection with 1989 
                       tiananmen square crackdown

       Beijing No. 2 Prison: Name, Age--Sentence, Charge (see key 
     below for charge name).
       Cao Yingyuan, 40--10 years, #6; Chang Jingqiang--25, Life, 
     #4, 5; Chang Yongjie, 31--Susp. death #4, 6, 9; Chen 
     Dongxiang, 57--14 years #3; Chen Qiulong, 38--13 years, #3; 
     Chen Yanbin, 23--15 years, #7; Liang Zhaohui, 26, worker--13 
     years, #4; Liang Zhenyun, 32, auto-mechanic--12 years, #11; 
     Liang Zhixiang, 25, worker--10.5 years, #4; Liu Changqing, 
     34--15 years, #4; Liu Chunlong, 26--12 years, #4; Liu 
     Huaidong, 31, cadre--13 years, #10; Liu Jianwen, 29, worker--
     20 years, #11, #10; Liu Kunlun, 43, cadre--13 years, #4; Liu 
     Quann, 44--15 years, #4, #13; Liu Xu, 28, worker--15 years, 
     #4; Liu Zhenting, 36, worker in Beijing No. 2 auto plant--17 
     years, #9; Lu Xiaojun, 36, worker--13 years, #9, #10; Ma 
     Guochun, 35--11 years, #9, #10.
       Ma Lianxi, 44--15 years, #11; Ma Shimin, 26--11 years, #4; 
     Meng Fanjun, 29, worker--13 years, #11; Mi Yuping, 39, 
     worker--13 years, #4; Niu Shuliang, 26, worker--12 years, #4; 
     Niu Zhanping, 43, worker--12 years, #4, #12; Peng Xingguo, 
     41--15 years, #4; Qiao Hongqi, 38, worker--12 years, #11; 
     Shan Hui, 28, worker--14 years, #9; Shi Xuezhi, 58--Life, #4; 
     Song Shihui, 24, worker--11 years, #9, #10; Su Gang, 28, 
     teacher--15 years, #4; Sun Chuanheng, 28--Life, reduced to 20 
     years, #2; Sun Hong, 27, worker--Susp. death, #4; Sun Yancai, 
     32--Life, #9; Sun Yanru, 27--13 years, #9; Sun Zhengang, 33, 
     worker--14 years, #4; Wang Jian, 30, worker--13 years, #9; 
     Wang Lianhui, 31--Life, #9; Wang Lianxi, 43, worker--Life, 
     #4; Wang Xian, 30, worker--Life, #4.
       Wang Yonglu, 30, worker--11 years, #11; Wang Yueming, 32--
     13 years, #4; Wang Chunmo, 34--11 years, #9; Wang Dongming, 
     37, worker--13 years, #4; Wu Ruijiang, 28, cadre--13 years, 
     #9, #10; Xi Haoliang, 27, worker--Susp. death, #4, #5; Xu 
     Ning, 26, worker--12 years (reduced by 2 years), #4; Yan 
     Jianxin, 30, worker--11 years, #9, #10; Yang Guanghui, 25--12 
     years, #4; Yang Jianhua, 38, worker--14 years, #9, #12; Yang 
     Pu, 34--Susp. death, #4; Yang Yupu, 33--15 years, #4; Yu Wen, 
     29, worker--12 years, #10; Zhang Baojun, 27--13 years, #4, 
     #9; Zhang Baoku, 29, worker--12 years, #4; Zhang Baoqun, 32--
     Life, #4; Zhang Fukun, 39--Life, #4; Zhang Guodong, 27--Life, 
     #4; Zhang Kun, 28, worker--11 years, #4; Zhang Maosheng, 30--
     Susp. death, #4; Zhang Qijie, 32, worker--Susp. death, #9, 
     #10, concealing a weapon; Zhang Qun, 27, worker--Life, #4.
       #7--Organizing a counterrevolutionary group
       #8--Conspiring to subvert the government
       Common criminal charges: #9--Robbery; #10--Hooliganism; 
     #11--Stealing or seizing gun or ammunition; #12--Disturbing 
     social order; #13--Disrupting traffic.
       Notes: (1) Some of the ages of prisoners in Qinghe Farm No. 
     3 Branch are age at date of arrest; (2) Sentences marked with 
     an asterisk * could have been subject to reduction or 
     supplementation; (3) ``Susp. death'' means a death sentence 
     with a two-year reprieve. This means that if the prisoner has 
     behaved well during the two-year period, the sentence is 
     normally commuted to life.
  I want to call the attention of my colleagues to the Global Petition 
Campaign for the 10th anniversary of the June 4th massacre. It is an 
open letter to the Government of the People's Republic of China calling 
upon the regime to reverse the verdict of Tiananmen Square. So we are 
associating ourselves in the Congress today with the aspirations of 
those brave people, including Wang Dan who was imprisoned for his 
political beliefs and his participation at the time of Tiananmen and 
after; and we are also associating ourselves with those many people who 
are still imprisoned.
  Free the prisoners. It is 10 years later. What do you have to be 
afraid of?
  And then in closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to say that were it not for 
this Congress, we really would not be having much to talk about today. 
But year in and year out we keep this on the front burner. There is no 
story written about China that doesn't talk about the disagreement we 
have between at least the Congress of the United States and the Chinese 
regime about promoting democratic freedoms.
  We do not in this body subscribe to the principle of trickle-down 
liberty. We subscribe to what our Founding Fathers established this 
country on. Those words of our Founding Fathers were echoed by the 
young people in Tiananmen Square. For that, they were crushed by tanks, 
and for that, they will be remembered by us in this resolution 
remembering Tiananmen.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time and I thank the 
gentleman for his indulgence in affording me the opportunity to speak 
at this length on the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record the material I referred to 
above.
  I want to call to the attention of my colleagues the Chinese 
activists detained in recent crackdown around June 4.
  Yang Tao--Detained May 5, 1999; Present situation unknown. Mr. Yang, 
29, is a former student leader of the 1989 Democracy Movement. In 1989, 
Yang was listed as #11 on the central governments most wanted list of 
21 leaders of the democracy demonstrations. Now based in Guangzhou 
city, Guangdong Province, Yang previously served a one-year sentence 
for ``instigating a counter-revolutionary rebellion'' for his 1989 
activities. Human rights monitors in Hong Kong reported Yang had been 
formally arrested on May 24 and faces criminal prosecution for his 
recent activism.
  Jiang Qisheng--Detained May 19, 1999; Present situation unknown. Mr. 
Jiang, 51, is a former graduate student leader of the 1989 Democracy 
Movement. Jiang was elected by People's University classmates as a 
representative on the ``Dialogue Delegation'' that conveyed student 
communications with central government representatives in May 1989. He 
served a 17-month sentence for his 1989 activities. Since his release, 
Jiang worked closely with Prof. Ding Zilin, the mother of one of the 
demonstrators killed on June 4, 1989, and participated in numerous 
petition campaigns.
  Liu Xianli--Sentenced to four years for inciting to overthrow state 
power on May 9, 1999. Mr. Liu was arrested in March 1998 while putting 
together a book of interviews with many Chinese democracy and human 
rights movement. His secret trial was held in November 1998, but his 
sentence was only recently released to his family.
  The following are the names of the Chinese worker prisoners still 
imprisoned for 1989 democracy activities.
  Yu Zhijian--life sentence for counter-revolutionary sabotage. Yu 
Zhijian, 31, is a former primary-school teacher from Hunan Province. Yu 
gave speeches in Hunan during the early spring in support of the 1989 
democratic movement. He traveled to Beijing in May 1989 to join the 
demonstrations there. On May 23, Yu and two friends threw ink- and 
paint-filled eggs at the portrait of Mao Zedong in Tiananmen Square. Yu 
was sentenced to life in prison in August 1989. According to a 1996 
Human Rights Watch report, he was believed to be serving in solitary 
confinement at the Lingling Prison in Hunan Province.
  Yu Dongyue--20 years for counter-revolutionary sabotage. Yu Dongyue 
is a former fine arts editor of the Liuyang News, a city paper of 
Liuyang city, Hunan Province. He traveled to Beijing in May 1989 to 
join the demonstrations there. On May 23, Yu and two friends threw ink- 
and paint-filled eggs at the portrait of Mao Zedong in Tiananmen 
Square. Yu was sentenced to twenty years imprisonment in August 1989. 
He reportedly served at least two years in solitary confinement. He is 
said to be serving in Hunan Province Yuanjiang No. 1 Prison. Recent 
news articles report Yu ``was suffering severe mental illness.''
  Lu Decheng--16 years for counter-revolutionary sabotage. Lu Decheng 
is a former worker at the Liuyang (Hunan Province) Public Motors 
Company. He traveled to Beijing in May 1989 to join the demonstrations 
there. On May 23, Lu and two friends threw ink- and paint-filled eggs 
at the portrait of Mao Zedong in Tiananmen Square. Yu was scentenced so 
sixteen years imprsonment in August 1989. He reportedly served at least 
two years in solitary confinement. He is said to have been moved from 
his original prison in 1992, but no updated informaiton is available.
  Chen Zhixiang--10 years for counter-revolutionary propaganda and 
incitement. Chen Zhixiang, 33, is a former instructor at the Guangzhou 
(Guangdong Province) Maritime Transport Academy. Chen was involved in 
the Guangzhou city-wide 1989 democratic protest and arrested in late 
1989. He was convicted of ``counter-revolutionary propaganda and 
incitement'' in January 1990 and received a ten year sentenced. He is 
reportedly held in the Shaoguan Laogai Detachment in Guangdong 
Province.
  Li Wei--13 years for taking part in a counterrevolutionary group. Li, 
a worker at the

[[Page 10811]]

Changchun (Jilin Province) No. 1 Motor Works, joined a `workers' forum' 
in 1987 and 1988. In Spring 1989, he joined a number of marches led by 
workers at the Changchun No. 1 Motor Works in support of the democratic 
movement. Li was detained in June 1989 and convicted of actively taking 
part in a counterrevolutionary group'' in November 1990. He was 
sentenced to 13 years imprisonment. Chinese authorities confirmed Li's 
sentence to the US government in November 1991. He is reportedly being 
held in the Liaoning Province Lingyuan No. 2 Laogai Detachment.
  Wang Changhuai--13 years for subversion. Wang was the Chairman of the 
Hunan Workers Autonomous Federation prior to the crackdown on the 
democratic protests of Spring 1989. Formerly a worker at the Changsha 
Au tomobile Engine Factory, Wang turned himself in to authorities in 
late June 1989. Wang was sentenced to 13 years improsonment for 
`subversion'. He is reportedly being held in Hunan Province Yuanjiang 
No. 1 Prison.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), who has been 
indefatigable in his attempts to promote human rights not just in China 
but around the world.
  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 178, a 
resolution concerning the massacre at Tiananmen Square on June 3 and 
June 4 of 1989. Next week marks the 10th anniversary of that historic 
tragic event, and so the Chinese Government ought to know we are not 
going to forget about it. But more importantly, we want the men and 
women who are still in jail to know.
  And I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith). He and I 
visited Beijing Prison Number One, where we saw 40 Tiananmen Square 
prisoners working on socks to export to the United States.
  Also, by us doing this and the Congress voting this way, it sends a 
message the same way we did to Sharansky. When Sharansky was in Perm 
Camp 35, he told us he knew every time the United States Congress spoke 
out on behalf of him and other Soviet dissidents. It encouraged them 
and emboldened them and let them know that the West cared and was going 
to stand with them no matter what.
  So it has been a decade since the crackdown, but we are not going to 
forget.
  Also, Mr. Speaker, it is important to know that the persecution of 
the church and the persecution in Tibet still continues unabated in 
China. They have Catholic priests in jail, Catholic bishops in jail; 
they have plundered Tibet, they are persecuting the Buddhist monks, 
they are persecuting the Muslims in the northwest portion of the 
country. So in addition to commemorating the 10th anniversary, to 
letting the Tiananmen Square demonstrators know we stand in solidarity, 
it also sends a message that this government has not changed.
  I am convinced that the Chinese Government cannot last much longer. I 
am convinced they will go the way of the Ceausescu administration. In 
fact, they must have found Ceausescu's playbook because everything 
Ceausescu did against the church they are doing against the church. 
Everything Ceausescu did against the demonstrators in Tiananmen Square 
in Bucharest, they are doing.
  And so this government and all of us here, all of us in this body, 
will live to see the day that they fall. And one day in China, in the 
not too distant future, the good people of China, and they are good 
people, will be free, able to choose their leaders in democracy and 
free elections and they will free the press and have freedom of 
worship.
  Until then, we applaud all those fighting inside China to keep the 
struggle for human rights and democracy alive. We call on the Chinese 
Government to show its respect for human rights by releasing all of the 
prisoners of conscience. If we were to wake up tomorrow or in 
celebration of the anniversary and were to see they were to release all 
of the prisoners of conscience, that may make a big difference in this 
country. But until they do that, we will remember.
  Lastly, for the administration and Members of Congress on both sides 
of the aisle to talk about giving this country Most Favored Nation 
trading status is absolutely crazy. And after the Cox report, released 
today, if we have a vote on MFN, it ought to go down overwhelmingly. 
And, quite frankly, the administration ought not even send anything up.
  But more importantly, back to the brave young men and women and their 
families, we will remember and stand with them in solidarity and will 
celebrate in victory in Tiananmen Square when freedom comes to China.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to associate myself strongly with the remarks of 
all the previous speakers, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Gilman), and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi). And I 
want to thank the gentlewoman for her leadership in drafting this 
legislation. I am very proud to be a cosponsor of it.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on H. Res. 178, which many of us 
want to see passed unanimously today. Ten years ago, Mr. Speaker, the 
ground at Tiananmen Square was hallowed by the blood of thousands of 
peaceful democracy advocates. Those Chinese patriots were slaughtered 
by a Communist regime that remains defiantly unapologetic for its 
actions and that continues to deny the very truth of what happened.
  I was gravely disappointed last year when the President of the United 
States and our country, which more than any other in the world ought to 
bear the standard of freedom and democracy and do so very, very 
diligently, met at that very site with the dictators who continued to 
lie about the murders committed less than a decade ago. In December of 
1996, Mr. Speaker, General Chi Haotian, the Defense Minister of the 
People's Republic of China and the operational commander of the forces 
that attacked the pro-democracy demonstrators, we call him the 
``Butcher of Beijing,'' was invited to the United States by the Clinton 
administration.
  During his visit he was given full military honors, a 19-gun salute, 
visits to several military bases and a tour of Sandia Nuclear 
Laboratory. And I would just say parenthetically, the Cox report 
suggests that that visit probably was not needed. He even had a 
personal meeting, Mr. Speaker, with the President of the United States 
at the White House.
  He also stated in what he called a responsible and serious manner, 
and I quote this, ``Not a single person lost his life in Tiananmen 
Square.'' He claimed that on June 4th, 1989, the People's Liberation 
Army did nothing more violent than pushing. General Chi Haotian said 
the only thing they did in Tiananmen Square was push people that he 
called hooligans. General Chi's remarkable ``big lie'' statement about 
Tiananmen Square helped the American people and the world to understand 
what he and his government are really like.
  Mr. Speaker, my Subcommittee on International Operations and Human 
Rights of the Committee on International Relations has had more than a 
dozen hearings on China and its repressive human rights regime, and 
during one of those, when we heard those outrageous remarks, we very 
quickly put together a hearing with people who were there on the 
ground--students--and we also had a man that was a journalist from the 
People's Daily, who was actually arrested for his honest reporting as 
to what had occurred, a Time magazine correspondent, and, like I said, 
some of the students. But we also invited General Chi.
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and I, then the ranking 
member, wanted to give the Chinese an opportunity to give an account 
for Tiananmen Square. The General was mouthing off to audiences here in 
the United States that nobody died. We offered that he come without 
delay before the people's body and give an account, because we happened 
to have evidence that would prove contrary. General Chi didn't make it. 
He didn't show up.

[[Page 10812]]

  We offered it to a representative of his government and we also 
invited Ambassador Lee for a roundtable discussion, and at the very 
last minute, he opted out. C-SPAN, everybody was there to cover it and 
there was another empty chair because they do not want to be held 
accountable for the atrocities.
  Perhaps General Chi, perhaps the ambassador, perhaps any 
representative of the government could tell us that there are no 
persecuted Christians in China. Perhaps they could tell us there is no 
ethnic and religious persecution in Tibet or Xinjiang. Perhaps they 
could tell us there is no forced abortions or forced sterilization, no 
dying rooms for unwanted children, usually baby girls and usually 
handicapped children.
  They also perhaps could tell us there is no political suppression or 
dissent and no torture. Of course, we would know that is a lie, but it 
is about time we held them to account.
  At one of our hearings recently, Mr. Speaker, Amnesty International 
issued a report card and on every one of the items they came to the 
conclusion that there was a total failure by the dictatorship. For 
example, release of all Tiananmen Square prisoners and other prisoners 
of conscience. Amnesty's response, total failure. Not one Tiananmen 
Square prisoner has been released since President Clinton's visit. 
Review all counterrevolutionary prison terms, about 2,000 of them; 
total failure. Not one counterrevolutionary prison sentence has been 
reviewed.
  There has been no indication by Chinese authorities that they will 
undertake a systematic review of such cases; according to Amnesty. 
Allow religious freedom; continued strong repression, says Amnesty.

                              {time}  1215

  There has been no indication of improvement since the President's 
visit. On the gross violation of coercive family planning and the 
harvesting of organs, again, Amnesty International reports no progress 
whatsoever. Those are crimes against humanity.
  The information concerning the practice of coercive population 
control is ``unequivocal''. And the Chinese authorities have announced 
no steps to stop it.
  Review of the system and reeducation through labor; total failure 
says Amnesty. Chinese authorities have made no changes in the system, 
nor have they announced any plans to do so.
  End police and prison brutality. Amnesty reports total failure in 
these two areas as well. Chinese authorities continue to use torture 
and beatings.
  Mr. Speaker, as I indicated, General Chi did not respond to our 
invitation. Nor has the ambassador. And we reissue it again to them. 
Come and speak before the House, through our subcommittee or any other 
forum, because we think that there is much to be held accountable for.
  What really happened on Tiananmen Square? I think Ms. Pelosi put it 
so well. There were people there on the ground who reported. Let us not 
forget the very images we saw. It was captured on videotape. And yet, 
they still lie right through their teeth.
  Nicholas Kristoff of the New York Times, who was in the Square on 
that night, reports, and this is his reporting, ``The troops began 
shooting. Some people fell to the ground wounded or dead. Each time the 
soldiers fired again and more people fell to the ground.''
  When he went to the Xiehe Hospital, the nearest to the Square, ``It 
was a bloody mess with hundreds of injured lying on the floors. I saw 
bullet holes in the ambulances.''
  Jan Wong of The Toronto Globe and Mail, looking down from a balcony 
in Beijing, ``watched in horror as the army shot directly into the 
crowds. People fell with gaping wounds.''
  Later she reported, ``The soldiers strafed ambulances and shot 
medical workers trying to rescue the wounded.'' ``In all,'' she 
reported, ``I recorded eight long murderous volleys. Dozens died before 
my eyes.''
  General Chi said this was just pushing. What an outrageous big lie, 
reminiscent of what the Nazis did during their terrible reign of 
terror.
  This is what Tiananmen Square means to the people of China, Mr. 
Speaker, and to the world. We should mark the tenth anniversary of that 
tragedy by remembering those who lost their lives in Tiananmen Square 
and by publicly committing ourselves to the cause for which they died, 
freedom for the people of China.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
The Congress is always at its best when we speak with a bipartisan 
voice. There is no issue on which we speak with a stronger, clearer, 
more articulate bipartisan voice than the issue of human rights 
violations in China and in Tibet.
  All of my colleagues who have spoken and all who will vote for this 
resolution express our determination that we shall not rest until China 
becomes a free and open and democratic society. The Chinese people 
deserve no less, one of the most talented people with an incredible 
record in science, literature, music, art, in every aspect of human 
endeavor, who are suffering under the yoke of an unspeakable 
totalitarian communistic dictatorship. The day of the Chinese people 
will come.
  I call on all my colleagues to vote for this resolution.
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, following the death of Mao and the end of 
the chaotic Cultural Revolution in 1976, China embarked down the path 
of significant economic and political reform, comparatively speaking. 
With Deng Xiaoping's Reform and Opening Policy, trade and foreign 
investment expanded and rigid communist economic policies were relaxed. 
As a result, the Chinese people were exposed to new standards of 
living, access to information and commercial freedoms never before 
realized. These progressive economic reforms stimulated the desire for 
increased political freedom and democratization, especially among 
students in China.
  Unfortunately, while the Chinese Communist Party leadership 
acknowledged that economic reform was necessary and encouraged it, 
these leaders fearfully viewed even modest political liberalization as 
a serious threat to the Communist Party's monopoly on power. Thus, when 
Chinese students peacefully demonstrated for democratic change, hard-
line Communist leaders responded with tanks, bullets and mass arrests. 
The most visible and brutal incidents occurred on June 3rd and 4th in 
Tiananmen Square. Many people were killed by the People's Liberation 
Army and other security forces. A great many more were wounded. It is 
reported at over 20,000 people nationwide suspected of taking part in 
the democracy movement were arrested and sentenced without trial to 
prison or labor camps. Hundreds of these individuals remain 
incarcerated today.
  As the Chairman of the House International Relations Subcommittee on 
Asia and the Pacific, this Member follows developments in China as 
closely as possible and believes that it is certainly in America's 
national security interests to integrate China into the international 
community. Yet, it is clear that Sino-American relations are complex 
and comprehensive, and have become increasingly problematic. Our 
concerns continue to multiply in scope and seriousness: espionage, 
illegal campaign contributions, weapons proliferation, abortion, Tibet, 
Taiwan, unfair trade and human rights. Each of these issues needs to be 
addressed by the appropriate means in the appropriate fora.
  In some cases we will find ourselves in concert with the views or 
policies of China. For example, we have a shared interest in supporting 
a sustainable recovery from the Asian financial crisis. In other 
matters, such as to what constitutes a respect and proper actions on 
matters relating to human rights, we strongly disagree. Responsible 
engagement does not equate to appeasement. It is a comprehensive 
approach focusing on both areas of agreement and disagreement.
  Freedom and democracy are the very foundation of the United States 
and are principles the American people cherish. Americans were outraged 
watching Chinese students whose only apparent crime was asking for more 
political freedom being crushed by PLA tanks and shot in the back as 
they tried to flee Tiananmen Square. Our consciences will not allow us 
to quietly ignore this tragic misconduct of a government towards its 
people. While Tiananmen Square may have been cleared of protesters ten 
years ago, the aftermath of that violence remains.
  Over the past decade since the tragic incident in Tiananmen Square, 
the human rights situation in China gradually began to improve, 
relatively speaking. Unfortunately, that encouraging progress was 
reversed six months ago

[[Page 10813]]

when hundreds of prodemocracy activists, journalists, labor union 
leaders, religious believers, and others labeled by the Communist Party 
as dissidents began to be exiled, imprisoned or harassed.
  Therefore, as part of our policy of responsible engagement, this 
Member supports H. Res. 178, the resolution before the House concerning 
the tenth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre of June 4, 1989, 
in the People's Republic of China. This is an appropriate and measured 
way to send a message to the Communist leadership in Beijing and to the 
Chinese people at large that Americans are understandably and as a 
matter of principle and conscience very much concerned about human 
rights and democratic reform in China.
  If China is to be integrated and welcomed into the international 
community as a responsible member and positive force, China ultimately 
must respect the rule of law. H. Res. 178 serves as a strong reminder 
that, in the opinion of the House of Representatives, very significant 
actions still need to be taken by Beijing to achieve that standard.
  Mr. Speaker, with the 10th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square 
massacre just a week away, this Member urges his colleagues to join him 
in supporting H. Res. 178.
  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate a group of 
courageous individuals and their commitment to freedom and democracy--
the thousands of Chinese students and activists who took part in the 
Tiananmen Square demonstration in May and June of 1989.
  I want to thank the chairman of the Congressional Working Group on 
China, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) and the gentle lady from 
California (Ms. Pelosi) for bringing this resolution to the floor of 
the House so quickly and in such a timely fashion.
  Days after the June 4th massacre, the Congressional Human Rights 
Caucus, held a briefing on this event. The pictures we saw, and the 
stories we heard are some of the most disturbing pictures of brutality 
and barbarity I have ever been exposed to.
  And yet, ten years later the perpetrators of this massacre have not 
been brought to justice. Hundreds of people are still held in prison 
for their involvement. Thousands more have been jailed since for 
similar reasons. Far too much time has passed for these cries of 
democracy to go unheard.
  The Chinese leadership remains unapologetic about the events of June 
4, 1989, they continue to vilify, imprison and exile these and other 
brave democracy activists. As recently as the beginning of this month, 
Yang Tao, a student leader of Tiananmen Square, was picked up from his 
house and arrested for calling on the government to ``re-evaluate'' its 
position on the events of June 1989. Other leaders have been put under 
house arrest for calling on the government to apologize for the murders 
and compensate the victims' families. Radio Free Asia reports in the 
days following the bombing of the Chinese Embassy, over half of the 
callers to their talk show were critical of the Chinese Government.
  The time has come for the Chinese government to take a close look at 
what happened ten years ago and to apologize to its people. The 
government cannot continue its harassment and imprisonment of its 
citizens who exercise their rights of freedom of speech, expression and 
religion. The hope and desire for democracy is still alive. We must do 
all we can to support it. I stand in strong support of H. Res. 178.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, today, I honor the hundreds, if not 
thousands of Chinese students that were brutally slain on June 4, 1989, 
by the Communist Chinese authorities. On that fateful day ten years 
ago, the best and brighest of a generation perished needlessly and the 
lives of countless Chinese families were disrupted forever.
  I commend my colleague Nancy Pelosi for her continuing leadership on 
China issues and for introducing H. Res. 178, to commemorate the Tenth 
Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Her efforts insure that 
the U.S. House of Representatives and the American people will never 
forget.
  To all the activists in China fighting today for the freedom of their 
country, I vow never to forget Tiananmen Square. I remind you that your 
allies across the globe continue to fight for your universal cause; to 
attain freedom, democracy and human rights for the Chinese people.
  The Chinese leaders say that they want to bring China into the modern 
world economy. I say to the Chinese leaders, you can't have capitalism 
without democracy and human rights. Capitalism and democracy go hand in 
hand, you can't have one without the other.
  The democratic rights advocated by these slain students ten years ago 
are universal, not uniquely western values as the Chinese leadership 
would have us believe. Indeed the blooming of full democracy in Taiwan, 
Korea, South Africa, Eastern Europe, Russia and many other countries 
since 1989 proves the universality of democracy and human rights.
  Ultimately, the values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
will prevail. As that document states, ``All human beings are born free 
and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and 
conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of 
brotherhood.'' Until that day I will join Nancy Pelosi, many of my 
colleagues here in the House, and countless others around the world in 
fighting for this just cause.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I too yield back the balance of 
my time, and I urge a ``yes'' vote on the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Sununu). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 178.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. LANTOS. 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 and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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