[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5928-5929]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE THREATS TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AND EXPRESSION IN THE 
                       PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to Calendar 
No. 322.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 361) recognizing the threats to 
     freedom of the press and expression in the People's Republic 
     of China and urging the Government of the People's Republic 
     of China to take meaningful steps to improve freedom of 
     expression as fitting of a responsible international 
     stakeholder.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Cardin 
amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to; the resolution, as 
amended, be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no 
intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 2969) was agreed to, as follows:

       On page 3, line 3, strike ``by the United States 
     Government''.

  The resolution (S. Res. 361), as amended, was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 361

       Whereas, in its 2013 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters 
     Without Borders ranked China 173rd out of 179 countries in 
     terms of press freedoms;
       Whereas China's media regulator, the State Administration 
     of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, enforces a 
     system of strict controls, including an extensive licensing 
     system and government supervision by the Chinese Communist 
     Party;
       Whereas domestic radio and television broadcast journalists 
     in China must pass a

[[Page 5929]]

     government-sponsored exam that tests their basic knowledge of 
     Marxist views of news and Communist Party principles;
       Whereas this state supervision of the media distorts and 
     blocks free and open coverage of key issues including Tibet, 
     political unrest, and corruption by government officials, as 
     well as Chinese foreign policy;
       Whereas China's media regulator officially bans journalists 
     from using foreign media reports without authorization and 
     forbids news editors from reporting information online that 
     has not been verified through official channels;
       Whereas the Congressional-Executive Commission on China 
     (CECC) has documented several instances of reprisals against 
     and harassment of independent journalists and newspaper staff 
     by the Government of the People's Republic of China, 
     including Chinese journalists working for foreign-based 
     websites and newspapers;
       Whereas the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China has noted 
     that foreign journalists continue to face challenging work 
     conditions, visa denials or delays, and various forms of 
     harassment, and 70 percent of journalists surveyed in the 
     FCCC's 2013 annual survey stated that ``conditions have 
     worsened or stayed the same as the year before'';
       Whereas, according to the CECC, authorities in China 
     appeared to maintain or enhance policies to block and filter 
     online content, particularly sensitive information about 
     rights activists, official corruption, or collective 
     organizing;
       Whereas China is the world's second largest economy and the 
     United States second largest trading partner and has been a 
     member of the World Trade Organization since 2001;
       Whereas China's growing economic importance increases the 
     need for the Government of the People's Republic of China to 
     act transparently and respect international trading 
     regulations; and
       Whereas official government censorship denies the people of 
     China, including nearly 600,000,000 Internet users, their 
     freedom of expression, undermines confidence in China's 
     safety standards, and causes increasingly serious economic 
     harm to private firms that rely on unfettered access to 
     social media as a business model: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) reaffirms the importance of freedom of the press to 
     efforts to support democracy, mitigate conflict, and promote 
     good governance domestically and around the world;
       (2) expresses concern about the threats to freedom of the 
     press and expression in the People's Republic of China;
       (3) condemns actions taken by the Government of the 
     People's Republic of China to suppress freedom of the press, 
     including the increased harassment of Chinese and 
     international journalists through denial of visas, harassment 
     of sources, physical threats, and other methods; and
       (4) urges the President to use all appropriate instruments 
     of United States influence to support, promote, and 
     strengthen principles, practices, and values that promote the 
     free flow of information to the people of China without 
     interference or discrimination, including through the 
     Internet and other electronic media.

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