IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1069 

Demanding that the Government of the People’s Republic of China and 

the Chinese Communist Party immediately release Kai Li. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 8, 2024 

Mr. LALOTA submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Demanding that the Government of the People’s Republic 

of China and the Chinese Communist Party immediately 

release Kai Li. 

Whereas Kai Li is being unjustly and arbitrarily detained by 

the Government of the People’s Republic of China, according to the United States Government; 

Whereas Kai Li is a United States citizen from Long Island 

and is a resident of New York; 

Whereas, on September 9, 2016, Kai Li was whisked away 

by agents from the Shanghai State Security Bureau; 

Whereas he was not allowed to have access to legal counsel 

while being harshly interrogated every single day at an 

unknown location for almost 3 months by state security 

agents; 


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•HRES 1069 IH 

Whereas, on November 25, 2016, Chinese agents moved Kai 

to the Shanghai No. 1 Detention Center, where he would 

end up spending 28 months; 

Whereas, despite being informed that Kai’s case had been escalated for prosecution, officials still refused him access 

to legal counsel on the grounds that it would ‘‘endanger 

national security’’, even though Article 33 of China’s 

Criminal Procedure Law ostensibly allows defendants to 

‘‘entrust a defender after he/she is interrogated for the 

first time’’; 

Whereas, on February 24, 2017, the procuratorate finally accepted Kai’s case nearly 6 months after his initial arrest, 

which enabled him to finally meet with his attorney; 

Whereas, on August 10, 2017, Kai’s trial was held by the 

Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court after 2 unexplained adjournments, with United States diplomats 

prevented from attending, in apparent violation of Article 

35 of the United States-China bilateral consular convention; 

Whereas, on his 55th birthday, Kai and his attorney were notified that following the trial, the case had been returned 

to the procuratorate for ‘‘supplemental investigation’’ on 

September 30, 2017, before being returned to the Court 

on October 29; 

Whereas, on July 25, 2018, Kai was concurrently sentenced 

to 10 years in prison, a 50,000 renminbi (RMB) fine, 

and deportation; 

Whereas Kai’s crime was deemed ‘‘serious’’, and thus punishable by anywhere from 10 years fixed imprisonment to 

life imprisonment; 


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•HRES 1069 IH 

Whereas, on February 22, 2019, Kai was transferred from 

the center to Qingpu Prison just over a month after his 

appeal hearing, which enabled him to receive semi-monthly visits from family in China, and to make 2 7-and-ahalf minute phone calls a month to his wife and son in 

the United States; and 

Whereas, during his time in prison, Kai has suffered a stroke 

and other health related issues: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) demands that the Government of the Peo3 ple’s Republic of China and the Chinese Communist 

4 Party immediately release Kai Li; 

5 (2) condemns the Government of the People’s 

6 Republic of China and the Chinese Communist 

7 Party for refusing to provide Kai Li with— 

8 (A) regular unmonitored communication 

9 with his family; 

10 (B) access to United States diplomats; and 

11 (C) independent and competent medical 

12 care and evaluation; and 

13 (3) calls for the United States Government to 

14 deepen and prioritize efforts to secure the release of 

15 Kai Li, including by— 

16 (A) urging counterparts of the People’s 

17 Republic of China at every level of engagement 

18 to release Kai Li; and 


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•HRES 1069 IH 

1 (B) using the voice and vote of United 

2 States diplomats in international forums to 

3 highlight Kai Li’s case. 

Æ 


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