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“THE STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT ON MFN” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S8140-S8141 on July 25, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT ON MFN
Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. President, Tuesday, the New York Times stated that the State Department would issue its first report on the worldwide persecution of Christians and this report would be sharply critical of China. That report was, in fact, released this past Wednesday, and I urge all of my colleagues in the U.S. Senate to read this report. This is the same report that the State Department originally promised to release to Congress on January 15, over 6 months ago. It is the same report that the State Department promised to release by the end of June, and the same report that the State Department promised to release before the House voted on China's most-favored-nation trading status.
On June 18 of this year, my good friend and colleague from Wisconsin, Senator Feingold, and I sent a letter to both the President and to the Secretary of State, expressing our grave concerns about recent reports that suggested that the State Department was deliberately delaying the release of its findings on religious persecution throughout the world. It was my understanding that this report placed a specific focus on the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities around the world, and that the report singled out China for especially tough criticism.
It is, in fact, the case, as the report has been issued and as I have surveyed that report, that that criticism is even more scathing than what had been anticipated. As I have stated on this floor many times, the 1996 State Department's human rights report on China revealed that the Chinese authorities had effectively stepped up efforts to suppress expressions of criticism and protest. This report said that all public dissent had been effectively silenced by either exile, imposition of prison terms, or intimidation. This latest report from the State Department, issued this week, further underscores the seriousness of the situation in China and the severity of the crackdown that has been imposed upon those who would express any opinion contrary to that of the Communist government.
As an original cosponsor of the disapproval resolution on MFN to China, I believe serious human rights abuses persist in all areas of China today and that the continuous delay of this year's report on religious persecution raises the question as to this administration's willingness to engage in an open discussion of the effect of U.S. policy on human rights in China and around the world.
I urge that the State Department report be delivered in a timely manner to ensure its full disclosure and debate prior to a vote on the extension of MFN to China. It seemed to be only right, only proper that the House and my Senate colleagues would have an opportunity to see the latest and most accurate information as to what is going on in China. That information was denied the House and it was denied my colleagues in the Senate, as we voted on the sense-of-the-Senate resolution last week. I even publicly made a request on the Senate floor for that report to be issued prior to any MFN debate and MFN vote.
The State Department informed me that I would receive a copy of the report as soon as it was released. Mr. President, the fact was that the New York Times received a copy of this report before Congress did. This year's report states quite clearly that the Chinese Government has consistently violated its own constitutional guarantees of religious rights, cracking down on Catholic and Protestant groups, raiding worship groups meeting in private homes, and sometimes detaining and interrogating and even beating religious leaders. Furthermore, the report states:
The government of China has sought to restrict all actual religious practice to government-authorized religious organizations. Some religious groups have registered, while others were refused registration.
I want to commend and express my appreciation to Senator Ashcroft from the State of Missouri for his willingness to come to the floor of the Senate this week and express his own outrage at the continuing deterioration of human rights conditions in China.
Mr. President, I raise this question on the floor of the Senate today: Why was the State Department's report on religious persecution delayed, delayed, and delayed again, so that it was only released after all congressional votes and all congressional debate on MFN was history?
Mr. President, I have serious concerns that officials of this administration are not willing to engage in an open discussion about United States policy toward China, and I am deeply disturbed about the timing of this report, especially in light of the votes that have transpired in both the House and the Senate in recent weeks.
The revelation that human rights abuses continue to worsen in China, while our policy remains status quo, I believe, gives our own tacit consent to the terrible atrocities that are occurring in that great country.
To remain silent when evil is perpetrated and injustice is being inflicted, I think, is to become a participant in that evil. So I urge my colleagues to obtain a copy of this year's report issued this week, read it, study it, and decide what action we should take as a nation against this regime that continues to disregard basic human rights.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
Mr. SPECTER addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Stevens). The Senator from Pennsylvania.
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