I hope the Administration now recognizes that we do not have a strategic partner in China. The United States must identify our true allies in Asia and foster those relationships. We must find ways to engage the people of China, encouraging democracy through effective means like Radio Free Asia. We must enhance security measures at home in our national labs. And American businesses must act responsibly overseas.
China wants American trade.
U.S. companies must use this leverage to advance more than profits. It's time to move to a post-Tiananmen era. Today, we call on the Chinese government to release all prisoners of conscience, including those who remain in prison as a result of their participation in Tiananmen. We call for the immediate end to harassment, detention and imprisonment of Chinese citizens who exercise their legitimate right to freedom of expression, association and religion. And we call on the Chinese to implement the International Covenant on Political and Civil Rights which it signed on October 5, 1998.