*EPF203 10/05/2004
Text: Lawmaker Says China Report Cites Progress, but Concerns Remain
(Congressional-Executive Commission on China releases 2004 Annual Report) (1350)

China achieved limited progress over the past year in promoting human rights and the rule of law, but severe and critical problems continue in both areas, according to Representative James A. Leach, chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC).

In an October 5 briefing on the release of the CECC's Annual Report for 2004, the congressman said the commission was particularly concerned about the Chinese government's increasing repression of religious freedom among Muslims, Christians, and Tibetan Buddhists, policies toward North Korean refugees, and official corruption.

The report attempts to offer a "snapshot" of current human rights conditions in China and summarize developments over the previous year.

"We have sought to produce a respectful and balanced review of events and trends in a country with a long history and a great civilization," said Leach, a Republican from Iowa.

"We recognize that China is undergoing one of the greatest transformations in modern history," he added. "The report documents that some elements of this transformation are impressive, but others fall short of internationally accepted norms."

Leach said he was encouraged by the pace and scope of legal reforms undertaken by Chinese officials at the central, provincial, and local levels of government and suggested that such reforms could "provide the basis for better respect for basic human rights and stronger protection of civil rights in the future."

The congressman announced two new CECC initiatives for 2004. In June, the commission launched a Web-based "Virtual Academy" with information about China's history, culture, government, and other issues relevant to CECC's mandate. The Virtual Academy is accessible through the commission's website (www.cecc.gov). The commission has also established a database that will provide reliable information on political prisoners in China. Leach said the Political Prisoner Database is undergoing final testing and will be ready for public access by November 2004.

The CECC, comprising nine members of the House of Representatives, nine members of the Senate, and five senior officials of the executive branch, was created by Congress in 2000 to encourage the development of rule of law in China, monitor China's compliance with international human rights standards, and track the status of victims of human rights abuses in China. The co-chair of the commission is Senator Chuck Hagel, a Republican from Nebraska.

The full text of the CECC Annual Report for 2004 can be found at the following address:

http://www.cecc.gov/pages/annualRpt/annualRpt04/index.php

Following is the full text of Representative Leach's remarks, as prepared for delivery:

(begin text)

Remarks of Rep. James A. Leach

Chairman, Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee
Committee on International Relations
and
Chairman, Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Briefing to Present the Annual Report for 2004
of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Tuesday, October 5, 2004
Room 2255
Rayburn House Office Building

It is a pleasure to be here this morning with my friend, colleague, and co-chair Chuck Hagel to present the Annual Report for 2004 of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. On September 23, the members of the CECC gathered to vote on and approve the Report; the votes are tallied in the endnotes.

The Commission normally has 23 members: nine from the House, nine from the Senate, and five from the Executive Branch. In the last two months, our number has been reduced to 21 by the departure from government service of two fine public servants. Doug Bereuter resigned from the House on September 1 after representing the 1st District of Nebraska with distinction for many years. Doug was not only one of the intellectual godfathers of this Commission, but also served as its Co-Chair in the 107th Congress. We are grateful for his service to the Commission, and wish him well in his new role as President of the Asia Foundation in San Francisco. Lorne W. Craner was Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor until the beginning of August. The President appointed him to the Commission in July 2001, and our work benefited significantly from his active and sensible participation. Lorne has now returned to the International Republican Institute, where he will continue to guide the IRI's many human rights and democracy programs around the world. We wish him well.

The CECC Annual Report is designed to be both a snapshot of current conditions in China and a summary of developments over the past year. We have sought to produce a respectful and balanced review of events and trends in a country with a long history and a great civilization. We recognize that China is undergoing one of the greatest transformations in modern history, and the report documents that some elements of this transformation are impressive but others fall short of internationally accepted norms.

We gather information for the Annual Report by conducting public hearings, hosting staff-led issues roundtables, sending our staff to China frequently, talking to visiting Chinese scholars and analysts, and doing research using the excellent resources of the Library of Congress, together with the growing amount of official information available on the Internet. We think that this meticulously researched report is accurate in its findings and balanced in its judgments.

As in last year's report, we find generally that there has been limited progress over the past year in some aspects of human rights and the rule of law, but that severe and critical problems continue in both areas. The report documents in detail the areas of improvement and the severity of the problems. With respect to the latter, we are particularly concerned about the Chinese government's increasing repression of religious belief and practice among Muslims, Christians, and Tibetan Buddhists. In addition, the Chinese government's policies toward North Korean refugees constitute a serious abdication of its responsibilities under international law. China, as well as the whole international community, is obligated to do more to alleviate this extraordinary human rights umbrage.

At the same time, we join the many people in the United States and elsewhere who are encouraged by the pace and scope legal reforms undertaken by Chinese authorities at the central, provincial, and local levels. We think that these reforms are likely to provide the basis for better respect for basic human rights and stronger protection of civil rights in the future.

One theme that runs throughout this Report is that official corruption not only undermines the reforms already undertaken but also causes the public to lose faith in the government. We think that China needs broader forms of democratic accountability and free access to information to curb corruption and restore the faith of Chinese citizens in their officials and their government institutions.

I would like to mention two other Commission initiatives that are separate from the Annual Report but very much part of the CECC's mandate: the Virtual Academy and the Political Prisoner Database.

In June this year, the CECC launched a "Virtual Academy" about China that is accessible through our website (www.cecc.gov). The Virtual Academy contains basic information about Chinese history, culture, and government, as well as detailed information on a number of the issues in the CECC mandate, all organized by topic. We are also seeking original articles or monographs by U.S. and Chinese scholars, to make the Virtual Academy a forum for learned discussion of a variety of issues.

The Political Prisoner Database is undergoing final testing this week, and the public access feature will "go live" at noon Eastern Standard time on November 1. At that time, the public and press will be able to send queries to the database through the CECC website and receive responses on 19 different types of prisoner information. The Database will initially have about 3,500 individual prisoner records, and that total will grow over the next year and beyond. For more information, please see section IV of the Report. The Database provides the Commission, other U.S. government users, and the public with a new and powerful tool for advocacy work on behalf of Chinese prisoners.

(end text)

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

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