IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1370 

Calling on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to immediately 

end abuses of the human rights of its citizens, to cease repression 

of Tibetan and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for the Governments of Sudan and Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic 

Games take place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions 

of freedom and openness. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 23, 2008 

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

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Calling on the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

to immediately end abuses of the human rights of its 

citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and Uighur citizens, and to end its support for the Governments of 

Sudan and Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere that honors 

the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness. 

Whereas the relationship between the United States and the 

People’s Republic of China is one of the most important 

and complex in global affairs; 

Whereas in the context of this complex relationship, the promotion of human rights and political freedoms in the 


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•HRES 1370 IH 

People’s Republic of China is a central goal of United 

States foreign policy towards China; 

Whereas increased protection and stronger guarantees of 

human rights and political freedoms in the People’s Republic of China would improve the relationship between 

the United States and the People’s Republic of China; 

Whereas the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will be held from 

August 8, 2008, through August 24, 2008; 

Whereas the United States should continue to advance its 

policy goal of improved human rights and political freedoms in the People’s Republic of China in the context of 

the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games; 

Whereas all Olympic athletes deserve to participate in a competition that takes place in an atmosphere that honors 

the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness; 

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

committed to protect human rights, religious freedom, 

freedom of movement, and freedom of the press as part 

of its conditions for being named to host the Beijing 

2008 Olympic Games; 

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

issued temporary regulations promising foreign media 

representatives covering the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games 

that they could travel freely, with the exception of in the 

Tibet Autonomous Region, and did not require advance 

permission before interviewing Chinese citizens during 

the period of January 1, 2007, to October 18, 2008; 

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

has failed to abide by many provisions of those regulations and has restricted foreign media by— 


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(1) detaining 15 journalists in 2007 for activities 

permitted by the new regulations; 

(2) refusing to allow foreign media representatives 

access to Tibetan areas of China, including those areas 

outside of the Tibet Autonomous Region covered by the 

pledge of free access, to report on the March 2008 protests and the Government of the People’s Republic of 

China’s violent crackdown against Tibetans in those 

areas; and 

(3) interfering with foreign media representatives 

and their Chinese employees who were hired within 

China, such that 40 percent of foreign correspondents 

have reported government interference with their attempts to cover the news in China; 

Whereas in advance of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, 

there are widespread reports that the Government of the 

People’s Republic of China has refused to grant visas or 

entry to individuals because of their political views, beliefs, writings, association, religion, and ethnicity; 

Whereas Chinese citizens and foreign visitors in China for the 

Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will not have free access to 

information if the Government of the People’s Republic 

of China continues to engage in blocking of overseas 

websites and other forms of Internet filtering and censorship; 

Whereas the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will not take place 

in an atmosphere of freedom if the Government of the 

People’s Republic of China continues to limit the freedoms of speech, press, religion, movement, association, 

and assembly of its citizens and visitors, including political dissidents, protesters, petitioners, the disabled, reliVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:29 Jul 24, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1370.IH HR1370

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gious activists, minorities, the homeless, and other people 

it considers undesirable; 

Whereas despite the Government of the People’s Republic of 

China’s repeated pledges to the international community 

that the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS are a 

national priority, HIV/AIDS activists and their organizations remain targets for repression and harassment by 

Chinese authorities; 

Whereas in the period preceding the Olympics Games, Chinese security forces have detained, threatened, and harassed HIV/AIDS and hepatitis advocates; shut down conferences and meetings of Chinese and foreign HIV/AIDS 

experts; and closed AIDS organizations; 

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

continues to ignore its international commitments to refugee protection, as evidenced by film footage recording 

the shooting death of a Tibetan nun by Chinese border 

guards in October of 2006 and human rights groups’ reports citing increased bounties offered for turning in 

North Korean refugees in 2008 to discourage bordercrossing prior to the Olympic Games; 

Whereas workers in the People’s Republic of China are often 

exposed to exploitative and unsafe working conditions, including excessive exposure to dangerous machinery and 

chemicals; 

Whereas according to Amnesty International, some Chinese 

companies withhold wages from workers for months while 

retaining their ID cards to prevent them from securing 

other work and, in the city of Shenzhen alone, an average 

of 13 factory workers a day lose a finger or an arm, and 

every 41⁄2 days a worker dies in a workplace accident; 


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Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

has reportedly increased its persecution of the Falun 

Gong prior to the Olympic Games; 

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

remains unwilling to invite His Holiness the Dalai Lama 

to China to hold direct talks on a resolution on the issue 

of Tibet, despite calls from the international community 

to do so before the Olympic Games; 

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

has had discussions with the representatives of the Dalai 

Lama, but has been unwilling to engage in substantive 

discussions on the future of Tibet and Tibetans in China; 

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China’s 

continued economic and political support for foreign governments that commit gross human rights violations, including those of Sudan and Burma, contradicts the spirit 

of freedom and openness of the Olympic Games; and 

Whereas it is the desire of the House of Representatives that 

the People’s Republic of China take the specific actions 

set forth herein so that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games 

are successful and reflect positively on its host country: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) calls on the Government of the People’s Re3 public of China to immediately end abuses of the 

4 human rights of its citizens, to cease repression of 

5 Tibetan and Uighur citizens, and to end its support 

6 for the Governments of Sudan and Burma to ensure 

7 that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in 


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1 an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of 

2 freedom and openness; 

3 (2) calls on the Government of the People’s Re4 public of China to immediately release all those im5 prisoned or detained for nonviolently exercising their 

6 political and religious rights and their right to free 

7 expression, such as Hu Jia, who have been impris8 oned, detained, or harassed for seeking to hold 

9 China accountable to commitments to improve 

10 human rights conditions announced when bidding to 

11 host the Olympic Games, embodied in China’s own 

12 laws and regulations, and in international agree13 ments; 

14 (3) calls on the Government of the People’s Re15 public of China to honor its commitment to freedom 

16 of the press for foreign reporters in China before 

17 and during the Olympic Games, to make those com18 mitments permanent, and publicly to guarantee an 

19 immediate end to the detention, harassment, and in20 timidation of both foreign and domestic reporters; 

21 (4) calls on the Government of the People’s Re22 public of China to permit visitors to China, including 

23 through the issuance of visas, for the period sur24 rounding the Olympics, regardless of religious back25 ground, belief, or political opinion; 


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1 (5) calls on the Government of the People’s Re2 public of China to guarantee freedom of movement 

3 within China during the period surrounding the 

4 Olympics for all visitors, participants, and journal5 ists visiting China for the Olympics, and such free6 dom of movement should include the freedom to visit 

7 Tibet, Xinjiang, China’s border regions, and all 

8 other areas of China without restriction and without 

9 special permits or advance notice; 

10 (6) calls on the Government of the People’s Re11 public of China to guarantee access to information 

12 by Chinese citizens and foreign visitors, including 

13 full access to domestic and overseas broadcasts, 

14 print media, and websites that in the past may have 

15 been excluded, censored, jammed, or blocked; 

16 (7) calls on the Government of the People’s Re17 public of China to permit political dissidents, pro18 testers, petitioners, religious activists, minorities, the 

19 disabled, the homeless, and others to maintain their 

20 homes, usual locations, jobs, freedom of movement, 

21 and freedom to engage in peaceful activities during 

22 the period surrounding the Olympics; 

23 (8) calls on the Government of the People’s Re24 public of China to end the exploitative and danVerDate Aug 31 2005 02:29 Jul 24, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1370.IH HR1370

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1 gerous conditions faced by Chinese workers in many 

2 state enterprises and other commercial entities; 

3 (9) calls on the Government of the People’s Re4 public of China to begin earnest negotiations, with5 out preconditions, directly with His Holiness the 

6 Dalai Lama or his representatives, on the future of 

7 Tibet to provide for a mutually agreeable solution 

8 that addresses the legitimate grievances of, and pro9 vides genuine autonomy for, the Tibetan people; 

10 (10) calls on the Government of the People’s 

11 Republic of China to end its political, economic, and 

12 military support for the Government of Sudan until 

13 the violent attacks in Darfur have ceased and the 

14 Sudanese Government has allowed for the full de15 ployment of the United Nations-African Union Mis16 sion peacekeeping force in Darfur; 

17 (11) calls on the Government of the People’s 

18 Republic of China to end its political, economic, and 

19 military support for the Government of Burma until 

20 democracy is restored in Burma, human rights 

21 abuses have ceased, and Aung San Suu Kyi and 

22 other political prisoners of conscience are released; 

23 and 

24 (12) calls on the President to make a strong 

25 public statement on China’s human rights situation 


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1 prior to his departure to Beijing for the Olympic 

2 Games, to make a similar statement in Beijing and 

3 meet with the families of jailed prisoners of con4 science, and to seek to visit Tibet and Xinjiang while 

5 in China to attend the Olympic Games. 

Æ 


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