‘‘(B) a brief assessment of the country’s 
practices with respect to foreign journalists and 
their domestic personnel by describing the coun-
try’s practices as ‘very restrictive’, ‘restrictive’, 
‘partially restrictive’, or ‘mostly free’.’’. 
SEC. 7. RESTRICTIONS ON THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION 
AND CENSORSHIP OF THE INTERNET TREAT-
ED AS A RESTRICTION ON TRADE. 
(a) FINDING.—Congress finds that restrictions on 
the activities of United States journalists and media per-
sonnel and the censorship and blockage of websites and 
the cross-border flow of information damages the competi-
tiveness of United States corporations and limits access 
to information critical for investors, consumers, and others 
making market and financial decisions and should be con-
sidered a restriction of trade and an unfair competitive 
advantage benefitting foreign government-controlled news 
organizations and other news and media corporations. 
(b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—Congress declares the 
following: 
(1) The United States Government should seek 
as part of international treaty negotiations and in 
negotiations and bilateral discussions with China, 
Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and other countries rated 
‘‘Not Free’’ by Freedom House’s annual ‘‘Freedom 
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of the Press’’ survey, conditions for a free and unfet-
tered operation of websites, an end to visas restric-
tions for journalists, an end to harassment, intimi-
dation, and surveillance of foreign journalists and an 
end to the abuse of state secrets laws, including Chi-
na’s restrictions on the sharing of information be-
tween Chinese and foreign journalists. 
(2) In addition, the United States Government 
should seek to link expansion of the free flow of in-
formation with ongoing and future trade agree-
ments, and other bilateral agreements and commu-
niques, by seeking language eliminating any and all 
limitations on market access for news agency serv-
ices and eliminate any restrictions on cross-border 
data flows involving journalists and the media, in-
cluding in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Bilateral 
Investment Treaties, or any other trade negotiations 
planned or in progress and seek stipulations guaran-
teeing fair treatment of United States and other for-
eign journalists and their publications, consistent 
with the treatment received by foreign journalists 
operating in the United States and free and unfet-
tered operation of websites in China and other coun-
tries where they are blocked or censored. 
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(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—In order to promote free-
dom of the press and recognize the importance of that 
internationally recognized right to economic freedom and 
economic security, it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) restrictions on journalists and media 
websites and the censorship of the Internet are sig-
nificant foreign trade barriers; 
(2) the United States Trade Representative 
should include a list of United States websites 
blocked in foreign countries in reporting on trade 
barriers in its annual report on foreign trade bar-
riers; and 
(3) the United States Government should pur-
sue, at the World Trade Organization (WTO) , dis-
putes to end blockage of United States websites by 
foreign governments, which would include require-
ments for other members of the WTO to regularly 
publish a list of any banned or censored websites 
and provide website owners an opportunity to ap-
peal. 
Æ 
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