Congressional-Executive Commission on China

February 27, 2004

The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:
 
We write on behalf of the Congressional members of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China to urge the Administration to sponsor and work vigorously to pass a resolution on China at the upcoming annual meeting of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights (UNHRC) in Geneva, Switzerland.

In 2003, the Administration did not sponsor a China resolution at the UNHRC, because China had made several unconditional commitments in December 2002 bilateral talks to accept visits by the U.N. Special Rapporteurs on Torture and Religious Intolerance, the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. 

This year, the situation is different. Although we recognize that change is seldom rapid or uniform in a country as large and complicated as China, the Chinese government has not fulfilled its December 2002 commitments.  As our 2003 Annual Report documents, policy and legal changes in China have resulted in some progress, but the Chinese government's behavior towards its citizens continues generally to fall short of the standards that the international community finds acceptable.   For example, Uighur businesswoman Rebiya Kadeer and Catholic bishop Su Zhimin remain in prison.  The government has not changed official policy proscribing the religious education of minors.  Workers seeking justice for themselves and their families remain in jail without due process of law.  And the relevant Chinese authorities have not allowed the International Committee of the Red Cross to open an office in Beijing.

We had hoped that another attempt to bring these matters before the UNHRC would not be necessary.  But in the current circumstances, we believe that it is both appropriate and necessary for the United States to take the lead in seeking to pass a resolution on China at the spring UNHRC meeting in Geneva. 

We thank you for your consideration of these views, and look forward to learning your Administration's plans for the UNHRC meeting this year.

Sincerely,

                    /s/                                                /s/
_____________________________   _____________________________
          Jim Leach, Chairman                  Chuck Hagel, Co-Chairman