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

Text: Increased Trade Hasn't Reduced China's Abuses, Wolf Says
(Republican lawmaker says Chinese repression continues)

Increased trade hasn't changed China's leadership style, says Representative Frank Wolf (Republican of Virginia), co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.

He told lawmakers July 10 that contrary to the idea that engaging China in trade would moderate that country's communist rulers, the Beijing regime remains one that oppresses its own citizens as well as others in its sphere of influence.

In prepared testimony at a hearing of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, Wolf said that the United States' long-standing policy "to trade with the People's Republic of China expecting China's human rights record to improve," has not achieved its goal.

"After nearly two decades in which China has received most favored nation status, it is clear religious freedom and human rights have been given lip service by the Chinese government," Wolf said at the hearing on the renewal of Normal Trade Relations (NTR) status for China.

Although the Congress passed legislation granting China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status last year, it was on condition that Beijing joins the World Trade Organization (WTO). While China is close to completing the process, it still has not gained entry into the WTO. Therefore China once again needs to have a renewal of its annual NTR status with the United States to maintain access to the U.S. market, and for the United States to have similar access to China's market.

Wolf, who was an ardent opponent of granting China PNTR in the 106th Congress, and who has often highlighted human rights abuses and religious oppression by the Beijing regime, said the United States should withhold NTR status for China until there is improvement in Beijing's conduct.

"It is time to try something new in our China policy," the Virginia Republican said.

If the United States wants Beijing's human rights record to improve, he suggested, the United States "ought to withhold normal trade status until the Chinese government proves that it will treat its own people, its mothers, fathers, religious leaders and even common criminals, with the dignity, compassion and respect that all human life deserves."

Following is the text of Representative Frank Wolf's prepared testimony before the July 10 hearing of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade:

Statement of Hon. Frank R. Wolf
Member of Congress, Virginia
Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Trade
of the House Committee on Ways and Means

Hearing on Renewal of Normal Trade Relations with China
July 10, 2001

I think it is time we as a legislative body face reality about the People's Republic of China. We've annually debated trade relations with China. We've heard about human rights abuses, religious persecution, nuclear arms sales. And it has annually been the will of the Congress that we engage in trade with China with the expectation that human rights would improve.

But the expectations have fallen short. As we have increased trade, the human rights situation in China has grown worse. For the past two years, the Department of State's annual report on human rights in China has stated this clearly, saying: "the Government's poor human rights record has deteriorated markedly" and "the Government's poor human rights record worsened, and it continued to commit numerous serious abuses."

Giving China most favored nation status hasn't changed for the better the lives of thousands of men and women languishing in forced labor prison camps. Human rights violations in China are about people who are suffering. Human rights violations in China are about people of faith being thrown into a dismal prison cell because of their faith.

When China violates its own citizens' human rights, people die, people suffer and families are torn apart.

I recently read the graphic testimony of a Chinese doctor who participated in the removal of organs and skin from executed prisoners in China. Dr. Wang Guoqi was a skin and burn specialist employed at a People's Liberation Army hospital. He recently testified before the House International Relations Subcommittee on International Organizations and Human Rights on the Government of China's involvement in the execution, extraction, and trafficking of prisoner's organs. I enclose Dr. Wang's statement for the record.

Dr. Wang writes that his work "required me to remove skin and corneas from the corpses of over one hundred executed prisoners, and, on a couple of occasions, victims of intentionally botched executions."

The Government of China also persecutes and imprisons people because of their religious beliefs. The U.S. Department of State recently sent me a letter on the status of religious freedom in China, which I enclose for the record. This letter states that the Government of China persecutes believers of many faiths, including Roman Catholics, Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists and Protestant Christians.

It is estimated that some "ten Catholic Bishops, scores of Catholic priests and [Protestant] house church leaders, 100-300 Tibetan Buddhists, hundreds (perhaps thousands) of Falun Gong adherents, and an unknown but possible significant number of Muslims are in various forms of detention in China for the expression of their religious or spiritual beliefs."

When China violates its own citizens' human rights, people die, people suffer and families are torn apart.

Today is the 150th day a mother and wife and permanent U.S. resident has spent in a Chinese jail. Dr. Gao Zhan is a researcher at American University here in Washington, D.C. She is my constituent. She studies women's issues. One hundred and fifty days ago, Chinese authorities detained Gao Zhan and her husband and their 5-year-old son, Andrew. In the matter of an instant, this happy young family was torn apart by the regime in Beijing. A 5-year-old child was taken from his parents, a young couple was divided by prison walls and armed guards. Imagine how you would feel if the Government of China did this to your family. Imagine how you would feel if the Government of China put your 5-year-old son in prison.

What kind of government imprisons mothers who are academic experts on women's issues?

Successive Presidents and previous Congresses have acted to trade with the People's Republic of China expecting China's human rights record to improve. After nearly two decades in which China has received most favored nation status, it is clear religious freedom and human rights have been given lip service by the Chinese government.

It is time to try something new in our China policy. If the U.S. wants China's human rights record to improve, the U.S. ought to withhold normal trade status until the Chinese government proves that it will treat its own people, its mothers, fathers, religious leaders and even common criminals with the dignity, compassion and respect that all human life deserves.

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