U.S. Representative Christopher Smith (R-NJ) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chair and Cochair of the bipartisan and bicameral Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), have released the Commission’s 2023 Annual Report on human rights conditions and rule of law developments in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The full report, along with an executive summary, is available for download on the CECC’s website.
"The Annual Report sets the standard in terms of documenting the People’s Republic of China’s failure to abide by human rights norms and in holding Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party accountable for their repeated and sustained atrocities and crimes against humanity – up to and including that most pernicious of human rights violations, genocide," said CECC Chair Smith. He praised the CECC staff for their work on the report, maintaining a political prisoner database, organizing hearings that lead to heightened awareness and actionable legislation.
"The people of China deserve to enjoy the full range of human rights to which they are entitled under international law. As the Congressional-Executive Commission on China documents in this report, the Chinese government continues to deny them their ability to exercise these rights," said CECC Cochair Merkley. He highlighted new ways that Chinese authorities are violating citizens' basic rights, including digital surveillance, biometric surveillance, transnational repression of Americans and others.
The 2023 Annual Report reflects views from CECC commissioners that PRC's failure to fulfill its obligations under international treaties, along with its systematic violation of human rights, pose challenges to rules-based international order and safety/security of U.S. citizens/residents. These challenges require robust efforts by U.S. and its allies to address genocide; stanch importation of forced labor goods; circumvent censorship; stop malign influence operations targeting U.S. citizens/their families; shine light on arbitrary detention/torture of political prisoners in China and Hong Kong.
The report includes a new chapter entitled "Technology-Enhanced Authoritarianism," recognizing the role that new technologies play in surveillance, censorship, and repression of fundamental freedoms in the PRC and around the world.
The report also includes recommendations for congressional and executive branch action. The CECC Chairs and Commissioners have championed bipartisan legislative and advocacy efforts to bolster U.S. human rights diplomacy that emerged from the research of the Annual Report.
In addition, robust implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act remains a priority of Commission reporting, advocacy, and legislative initiatives, including championing additional funding for enforcement efforts and stopping U.S. Government procurement of seafood processed by forced labor or Uyghurs and North Koreans.
Chair Smith and Cochair Merkley commend the outstanding work of the capable and professional CECC’s research staff in producing the Commission’s 22nd Annual Report.
