118th Congress
September 19, 2024
(Washington)—Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the Chair and Cochair, respectively, of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), held a hearing to explore the cases of wrongfully detained Americans in China. The hearing, entitled “Bringing Home Americans Detained in China,” highlighted the fact that more Americans are detained in China than in any other country, and explored the diplomatic options available to gain the release of American prisoners such Kai Li, Nelson Wells, Jr., and Dawn Michelle Hunt, among many others.
There are more Americans detained in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) than anywhere else in the world. Following the high-profile release of Americans unjustly jailed in Russia, attention to the cases of Americans imprisoned in China, many jailed for over or nearly a decade, remains a pressing diplomatic concern.
August 8, 2024
(Washington)—Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the Chair and Co-chair respectively of the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China, will hold a hearing on securing the freedom of unjustly detained Americans in China on Wednesday, September 18, 2024, at 10:00 am (EDT). Following the high-profile release of Americans unjustly detained in Russia, attention to the cases of Americans imprisoned in China, many jailed for over or nearly a decade, remains a pressing diplomatic concern.
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China has prepared the following flowchart and its accompanying annotations in order to provide a comparison between what constitutes freedom of the press in China and the United States.
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China has prepared the following flowchart and its accompanying annotations in order to provide a comparison between what constitutes freedom of the press in China and the United States.
“We welcome the addition of three entities in the seafood, aluminum, and footwear sectors by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the 'Entity List' of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. These entities include the Shandong Meijia Group, which we asked DHS to add following the October 2023 CECC hearing on seafood imports linked to forced labor.
“Today’s action sends a clear message to everyone from supermarkets to U.S. government agencies that the import of seafood and other goods connected to forced labor in China will not be tolerated.
“We also pledge continued support for providing DHS with the tools and resources needed to robustly implement today's action.”
(Washington)—Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), the Chair and Co-chair, respectively, of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), held a hearing on the 35th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre examining both the legacy of the Tiananmen protests for democracy and human rights and their ongoing importance for a new generation of rights advocates.
“The Hong Kong government is again bulldozing the freedoms and rule of law that once made it so vital and prosperous. These verdicts are yet another sign that the Chinese Communist Party is pulling the strings, as its extreme efforts to restrict democracy and human rights now dictate Hong Kong’s political and judicial institutions. Let us be clear: the Hong Kong 47 verdicts violate international law and treaty obligations.