IV

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 188

To express the sense of the House of Representatives that the Olympics

in the year 2000 should not be held in Beijing or elsewhere in the

People’s Republic in China.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 27, 1993

Mr. LANTOS (for himself, Mr. GINGRICH, Mr. HOYER, Mr. GILMAN, Ms.

PELOSI, Mr. PORTER, Mrs. MORELLA, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr.

LEWIS of Georgia, and Mr. TORRES) submitted the following resolution;

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

RESOLUTION

To express the sense of the House of Representatives that

the Olympics in the year 2000 should not be held in

Beijing or elsewhere in the People’s Republic in China.

Whereas the International Olympic Committee is now in the

process of determining the venue of the Olympic Games

in the year 2000;

Whereas the governments of the city of Beijing and of the

People’s Republic of China have made a proposal to the

International Olympic Committee that the Summer

Olympic Games in the year 2000 be held in Beijing;

Whereas the State Department’s Country Reports on Human

Rights Practices for 1992 specifies that the Chinese

‘‘government’s human rights practices have remained re-
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pressive, falling far short of internationally accepted

norms,’’ ‘‘torture and degrading treatment of detained

and imprisoned persons persisted,’’ ‘‘conditions in all

types of Chinese penal institutions are harsh and frequently degrading,’’ and the Chinese ‘‘government still

has not satisfactorily accounted for the thousands of persons throughout the country who were arrested or held

in ‘detention during the investigation’ or ‘administrative

detention’ status for activities related to the 1989 prodemocracy demonstrations’’;

Whereas the Government of China has failed to respect civil

liberties and, according to the State Department’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1992, ‘‘freedom of speech and self-expression remain severely restricted’’;

Whereas the Government of China has engaged in massive

transfers of population in order to marginalize the Tibetans inside Tibet and has engaged in systematic suppression of the Tibetan people, their culture and religion;

Whereas the Government of China has imposed tighter control over religious practice and engaged in greater repression of religion;

Whereas the Government of China does not permit the establishment of independent Chinese organizations that publicly monitor or comment on human rights conditions in

China, and Chinese authorities have refused requests by

international human rights delegations to meet with political prisoners and former detainees and have expelled foreign visitors who have indicated an interest in monitoring

human rights conditions;
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HRES 188 IH

Whereas workers in China are denied the right to organize

independent trade unions and to bargain collectively, and

products manufactured by forced labor have been exported to the United States;

Whereas, in the spring of 1989, then mayor of Beijing, Chen

Xitong, called for a crackdown on the pro-democracy

demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, and on May 20,

1989, signed a martial law decree authorizing the entry

of troops into the city;

Whereas Chen Xitong is currently chairman of the Beijing

2000 Olympic Bid Committee, and Mr. Chen has assured

the International Olympic Committee in China’s formal

application that ‘‘neither now, or in the future, will there

emerge in Beijing organizations opposing Beijing’s bid’’

to host the Olympics, thus boasting of the Chinese regime’s determination to crush dissent; and

Whereas holding the Olympic games in countries, such as the

People’s Republic of China, which engage in massive violations of human rights serves to shift the focus from the

high ideals behind the Olympic tradition and is counterproductive for the Olympic movement: Now, therefore, be

it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

2 (1) strongly opposes the holding of the Olympic

3 Summer Games in the year 2000 in the city of

4 Beijing or elsewhere in the People’s Republic of

5 China and urges the International Olympic Commit6 tee to find another, more suitable venue for the

7 Games;
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HRES 188 IH

1 (2) urges the United States Representative to

2 the International Olympic Committee to vote against

3 holding the Olympic Summer Games in the year

4 2000 in the city of Beijing or elsewhere in the Peo5 ple’s Republic of China; and

6 (3) directs the Clerk of the House of

7 Representatives to transmit a copy of this resolution

8 to the Chairman of the International Olympic Com9 mittee and to the United States representative to

10 the International Olympic Committee with the re11 quest that it be circulated to all members of the

12 Committee.

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