Statement By Rep Sander Levin
On The Release Of The 2002 Annual Report
By The Congressional Executive Commission On China

(Washington, D.C. ) -- Rep. Sander Levin, the co-author of the legislation creating the Congressional Executive Commission on China (CECC) as part of Public Law 106-286, prepared the following statement on the CECC's first Annual Report. "The establishment of this Congressional Executive Commission on China reflects the exceptional strategic and economic significance of the United States - China relationship and the special challenges ahead as this relationship unfolds. The United States and China are the largest and third largest economies in the world, respectively. The Congressional Executive Commission on China was created to play an active role to both engage and pressure China to create a more open society with greater respect for human rights, worker rights and rule of law. "When confronting special and difficult relations with the former Soviet Union, the Congress set up the Helsinki Commission. Its effective and activist role succeeded in focusing a spotlight on human rights and rule of law issues. It also acted as a constructive catalyst for change. Every challenge is different, and of course there are major differences between the former Soviet Union and China so that specific strategies and approaches will vary. But, the Helsinki Commission should provide encouragement for the high level Congressional Executive Commission on China to meet its necessary and important challenge. The China Commission has the potential to become a new meeting place for ideas, debate and activism on United States policy towards China and add an important new dimension to our bilateral relationship. "The release of this report today is a first step in that direction. This Report's important bipartisan recommendations urge Congress and the President to provide greater assistance for programs in China that promote an individual rights-based, accessible and transparent legal system. It also recommends that the Administration explore all multilateral avenues to pressure China to comply with its international human rights and worker rights obligations. Its timing is significant as President Bush will be meeting with Chinese President Jiang later this month. It is also significant as China is expected to appoint new leaders next month. "This Report also contains the names of individuals who have been imprisoned solely for exercising their civil and political rights guaranteed under Chinese law and under China's international human rights obligations. The following are but a few of those prisoners. XU WENLI is serving a thirteen-year prison term for helping to establish the China Democracy Party.

REBIYA KADEER, a successful Uighur minority businesswoman, who worked to address social concerns in her community, is serving an eight-year prison term for her activism. YAO FUXIN, PANG QINGXIANG, XIAO YUNLIANG and WANG ZHAOMING, labor activists in the city of Liaoyang, charged in March, have yet to come to trial, but face years of imprisonment for taking a leadership role in mass protests by workers and former workers over non-payment of wages, pensions, severance pay, and their inability to obtain a meaningful hearing on their grievances. BISHOP JAMES SU ZHIMIN, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Baoding, China was apparently arrested in 1997 for practicing outside the officially recognized Catholic Patriotic Association. His whereabouts are unknown and he never received a trial. XU JIAN, a Chinese labor lawyer, is serving four years in prison for advising workers of their rights under Chinese labor law. "I urge President Bush, in his meeting with President Jiang this month, to seek the release of these prisoners and to discuss the underlying human rights, worker rights and rule of law issues that they symbolize. "I firmly believe that this Commission has the potential to provide the type of sustained pressure, attention and dialogue necessary to help bring about positive social and economic reform in China. We owe it to the people of both our countries to do our utmost to succeed in this important pursuit. Successful implementation of this Report's recommendations will be an important first step."