Chairs' Statement on World Press Freedom Day 2024

(Washington)—The Chairs of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), Representative Christopher Smith (R-NJ) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), issued the following statement on World Press Freedom Day:

“The People’s Republic of China (PRC) jails more journalists and exports more propaganda than any other country in the world.  Only North Korea ranks lower on the World Press Freedom Index. Over the past year, the media environment continued to shrink while the PRC spent billions to censor the flow of news and information and prosecuted Chinese citizens who exercise their right to free speech.

“Securing press freedom must be a critical component of the U.S. agenda in its relations with the PRC. It is our firm belief that independent journalism is essential for the protection and enjoyment of human rights—journalists expose corruption and atrocities and shine a light on abuses of power. But a free press is also important for creating a deeper, more honest understanding between the American and Chinese people. The many press and media restrictions currently in effect limit not only what the world knows about China, but what the Chinese people know about their own government and its policies.   

“On this World Press Freedom Day, we honor the courage of those in China who pursue the truth and challenge the efforts of the PRC government to silence them.  We call on the Biden Administration, as it engages with PRC officials over the next several months, to elevate the cases of unjustly detained journalists, bloggers, media professionals, publishers, and citizen journalists in the PRC and Hong Kong, including Chen Jieren, Jimmy Lai, Dong Yuyu, Erkin Tursun, Gui Minhai, Huang Qi, Huang Xueqin, Ilham Tohti, Li Xinde, Qurban Mamut, Ruan Xiaohuan, Shangguan Yunkai, Yang Hengjun, Yang Zewei, and Zhang Zhan, among many others.”