U.S. Dept. of State - IIP: The United States and China

Text: House Resolution on Consideration of Beijing for 2008 Olympics
(China should not host Olympics unless rights record improves)

Representative Tom Lantos (Democrat of California), co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and a member of the House Committee on International Relations, and six co-sponsors introduced a resolution September 28 on the consideration of Beijing, China as the venue for the Olympics Games in the year 2008.

House Resolution 601 (H. Res. 601) expresses "the sense of the House of Representatives that without improvement in human rights the Olympics Games in the year 2008 should not be held in Beijing in the People's Republic of China." The bill has been referred to the House Committee on International Relations.

Following is the text of the resolution, as provided by the Office of Tom Lantos:

106th Congress
2nd Session
H. Res. 601
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that without improvement in human rights the Olympic Games in the year 2008 should not be held in Beijing in the People's Republic of China.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 28, 2000

Mr. LANTOS (for himself Mr. Cox, Mr. WOLF, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. PORTER of Illinois, and Mr. ROHRABACHER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on ....

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that without improvement in human rights the Olympic Games in the year 2008 should not be held in Beijing in the People's Republic of China.

Whereas the International Olympic Committee is now in the process of determining the venue of the Olympic Games in the year 2008 and is scheduled to make that decision at the IOC meeting scheduled for Moscow in July 2001;

Whereas the city of Beijing has made a proposal to the International Olympic Committee that the summer Olympic Games in the year 2008 be held in Beijing;

Whereas the Olympic Charter states that "Olympism" and the Olympic ideal seek to foster "respect for universal fundamental ethical principles";

Whereas the United Nations General Assembly in resolution 48/11 adopted on October 25, 1993, recognized "that the Olympic, goal of the Olympic Movement is to build a peaceful and better world by educating the youth of the world through sport, practiced without discrimination of any kind and the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding, promoted by friendship, solidarity and fair play";

Whereas United National General Assembly in resolution 50/13 of November 7, 1995, stressed "the importance of the principles of the Olympic charter, according to which any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, sex or otherwise is incompatible with the Olympic Movement";

Whereas the State Department's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1999 reports that

(1) "The [Chinese] Government continued to commit widespread and well- documented human rights abuses, in violation of internationally accepted norms."

(2) "Abuses included instances of extrajudicial killings, torture and mistreatment of prisoners, forced confessions, arbitrary arrest and detention, lengthy in communicado detention, and denial of due process."

(4) "The Government tightened restrictions on freedom of speech and of the press, and increased controls on the Internet; self-censorship by journalists also increased."

(5) "The Government severely restricted freedom of assembly and continued to restrict freedom of association."

(6) "The Government continued to restrict freedom of religion and intensified controls on some unregistered churches."

(8) "The Government does not permit independent domestic nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to monitor publicly human rights conditions."

(9) "Violence against women, including coercive family planning practices -- which sometimes include forced abortion and forced sterilization; prostitution; discrimination against women; trafficking in women and children; abuse of children; and discrimination against the disabled and minorities are all problems."

(10) "The Government continued to restrict tightly worker rights, and forced labor in prison facilities remains a serious problem. Child labor persists."

(11) "Particularly serious human rights abuses persisted in some minority area, especially in Tibet and Xinjiang, where restrictions on religion and other fundamental freedoms intensified."; Whereas, according to press reports, Liu Qi, the Mayor of Beijing, told a rally called to promote Beijing's bid to host the Olympic Games that the government would "resolutely smash and crack down on Falun Gong and other evil cults" in preparation for hosting the games;

Whereas, the egregious human rights abuses committed by the Government of China are inconsistent with the Olympic ideal; and

Whereas on July 26, 1993, the House of Representatives adopted House Resolution 188 in the 103rd Congress which expressed the sense of the House of Representatives that the Olympics in the year 2000 should not be held in Beijing or elsewhere in the People's Republic of China;

(1) welcomes the participation of Chinese athletes in the Olympic Games, notes the outstanding competitive effort of Chinese athletes in the games in Sydney, Australia, where Chinese athletes placed third in the number of medals earned, and in Atlanta, Georgia, and Barcelona, Spain, where Chinese athletes also placed third in the number of medals earned, and wholeheartedly welcomes the support of the Chinese people for the Olympic Games;

(2) acknowledges that the Chinese people and thousands of Chinese Olympic athletes have shown their strong support for the Olympic spirit through their commitment to excellence, energy, skill, sportsmanship, and good will towards their fellow athletes;

(3) expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Olympic Games in the year 2008 should not be held in Beijing in the People's Republic of China because the deplorable human rights record of the People's Republic of China violates international human rights standards which that Government has pledged to uphold and its actions are inconsistent with the Olympic ideal;

(4) expresses the view that the House looks forward to the day when the House can support a proposal of the People's Republic of China to host the Olympic Games at a time when the Chinese people openly enjoy the tolerance and freedoms espoused by the high ideals of the Olympic tradition; and

(5) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to transmit a copy of this resolution to the Chairman of the International Olympic Committee and to the United States representative to the International Olympic Committee with the request that it be circulated to all members of the committee.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)