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

Text: Ros-Lehtinen Says China Must Be Accountable for Its Actions
(Human rights subcommittee chairperson supports H. Res. 56)

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Republican of Florida) urged fellow lawmakers to back House Resolution 56 in an April 3 speech.

The measure, which passed 406-6, supports the U.S. decision to seek passage of a U.N. resolution that would put China's human rights record on the agenda of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights meeting in Geneva.

"The People's Republic of China must be held accountable" for its actions, Ros-Lehtinen said.

"Constant pressure from the U.S. and the international community is vital if any improvements are to take place in China," the chairwoman of the House International Relations Subcommittee on International Operations and Human Rights continued.

Following is the text of Ros-Lehtinen's remarks from the April 3 Congressional Record:

URGING INTRODUCTION OF U.N. RESOLUTION
CALLING UPON THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
TO END ITS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS
IN CHINA AND TIBET
House of Representatives
April 03, 2001

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, as a cosponsor of House Resolution 56, I rise in support of the manager's amendment and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this important resolution, which urges the passage of a U.S.-sponsored resolution at the U.N. Commission on Human Rights which calls upon the Chinese Government to end its human rights violations in China and Tibet.

During committee consideration, the chairman requested unanimous consent that the Chair be authorized to seek consideration of House Resolution 56 on the House suspension calendar.

No objection was heard. The manager's amendment includes an amendment by the gentleman from California (Mr. LANTOS) updating the resolution to reflect the fact that the Bush administration has introduced a resolution at the Human Rights Commission in Geneva concerning the deplorable human rights condition in the People's Republic of China. The title will be amended to reflect the modifications made by the manager's amendment.

This resolution is a statement of fact outlining that China is an authoritarian state which continues to systematically violate the human rights of everyone, and the civil and political liberties of all of its citizens. State security personnel are responsible for numerous abuses, such as political and other extrajudicial killings, lengthy incommunicado detentions, and the use of torture.

National, racial, and ethnic minorities remain subject to intense persecution and discrimination. The authorities frequently launch campaigns to crack down on opposition and pro-democracy groups. Freedom of movement, speech, assembly, and association are severely restricted. The controls on religious worship have intensified, with harassment of church leaders and other faithful, including fines, detentions, physical abuse, and torture. Many houses of worship have been destroyed.

Trafficking in persons, mainly women and children, for forced prostitution or illegal forced labor continues, placing this segment of the population in constant risk of slavery.

Recently, we have seen how their blatant disregard for the universal rights and liberties of human beings extends to foreign visitors, as reflected by the detention of academics by the Chinese regime. Dr. Xu Zerong, a Ph.D. from Oxford University, was detained last fall; and to date the Chinese authorities have not offered any explanation for his continued detention. His family still does not know where he is being held.

Professor Li Shaomin, a U.S. citizen who teaches business at the City University of Hong Kong, was arrested on February 25. The Chinese have yet to present any information regarding charges against him.

There is the case of Dr. Gao Zhan, a research scholar based at American University, detained last month by Chinese authorities.

Just today, Human Rights Watch's Academic Freedom Committee sent the letter to the Chinese leader to protest these detentions, and calling on the Chinese leadership to follow internationally recognized standards of due process to protect the lives and the rights of these scholars.

Further, there is the grim situation that the U.S. is facing of protecting and securing the safe return of 25 Americans being held hostage by the PRC. This picture paints a profound and widespread violation of internationally recognized human rights norms.

The People's Republic of China must be held accountable for its action. Constant pressure from the U.S. and the international community is vital if any improvements are to take place in China. The resolutions before us are an important part of that strategy.

I am proud that the Bush administration has rejected the view that Beijing is our strategic partner and considers passage of the China human rights resolution one of its top priorities in Geneva.

As the U.S. delegation works to ensure debate on human rights conditions in China and to secure the votes for a resolution calling on China to end its terrible human rights practices, let us show them our full support by voting in favor of the manager's amendment to House Resolution 56.

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