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

Text: Lawmakers Ask U.S. to Seek U.N. Resolution on China in Geneva
(Lantos, Pelosi, Smith urge U.S. action at UNCHR meeting)
Some of the strongest congressional critics of China's human rights practices urged the Bush administration to seek a resolution at the upcoming United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) meeting in Geneva that calls for an end to human rights abuses in China and Tibet.
Representatives Christopher Smith (Republican of New Jersey), chairman of the House International Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights, Tom Lantos (Democrat of California), co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, Nancy Pelosi (Democrats of California), and six other lawmakers introduced House Resolution 56 (H. Res. 56) February 26.
The resolution says the United States "should solicit" co-sponsorship for a resolution "calling upon the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its human rights abuses in China and Tibet," and adds that the United States "should take the lead" in organizing support for such a resolution.
On the same day the lawmakers introduced H. Res. 56, Deputy U.S. State Department Spokesman Philip T. Reeker said in a press release that the United States would introduce a resolution on China's human rights practices at the UNCHR when it meets in March.
The decision to go forward with a resolution at the UNCHR, Reeker said, was based on the fact that the Chinese government's human rights record has continued to deteriorate over the past year.
H. Res. 56 says the Beijing regime has yet to demonstrate "its willingness to abide by internationally accepted norms of freedom of belief, expression, and association."
Among other human rights violations, Chinese communist officials "continue to exert control over religious and cultural institutions in Tibet, abusing human rights through instances of torture, arbitrary arrest, and detention of Tibetans without public trial for peacefully expressing their political or religious views," the resolution says.
Following is the text of the resolution:
(begin text)
Whereas the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, provides a forum for discussing human rights and expressing international support... (Introduced in the House)
HRES 56 IH
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 56
Urging the appropriate representative of the United States to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to introduce at the annual meeting of the Commission a resolution calling upon the People's Republic of China to end its human rights violations in China and Tibet, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 26, 2001
Mr. LANTOS (for himself, Mr. WOLF, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. FRANK, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. MCGOVERN, and Ms. RIVERS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
RESOLUTION
Urging the appropriate representative of the United States to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to introduce at the annual meeting of the Commission a resolution calling upon the People's Republic of China to end its human rights violations in China and Tibet, and for other purposes.
Whereas the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, provides a forum for discussing human rights and expressing international support for improved human rights performance;
Whereas, according to the Department of State and international human rights organizations, the Government of the People's Republic of China continues to commit widespread and well-documented human rights abuses in China and Tibet;
Whereas the People's Republic of China has yet to demonstrate its willingness to abide by internationally accepted norms of freedom of belief, expression, and association by repealing or amending laws and decrees that restrict those freedoms; Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China continues to ban and criminalize groups it labels as cults or heretical organizations;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has repressed unregistered religious congregations and spiritual movements, including Falun Gong, and persists in persecuting persons on the basis of unauthorized religious activities using such measures as harassment, prolonged detention, physical abuse, incarceration, and closure or destruction of places of worship;
Whereas authorities in the People's Republic of China have continued their efforts to extinguish expressions of protest or criticism, have detained scores of citizens associated with attempts to organize a peaceful opposition, to expose corruption, to preserve their ethnic minority identity, or to use the Internet for the free exchange of ideas, and have sentenced many citizens so detained to harsh prison terms;
Whereas Chinese authorities continue to exert control over religious and cultural institutions in Tibet, abusing human rights through instances of torture, arbitrary arrest, and detention of Tibetans without public trial for peacefully expressing their political or religious views;
Whereas bilateral human rights dialogues between several nations and the People's Republic of China have yet to produce substantial adherence to international norms; and
Whereas the People's Republic of China has signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but has yet to take the steps necessary to make the treaty legally binding: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
(1) at the 57th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland, the appropriate representative of the United States should solicit cosponsorship for a resolution calling upon the Government of the People's Republic of China to end its human rights abuses in China and Tibet, in compliance with its international organizations; and
(2) the United States Government should take the lead in organizing multilateral support to obtain passage by the Commission of such resolution.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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