U.S. Representative Christopher Smith and Senator Jeff Merkley have released the 2024 Annual Report of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC). The report details human rights conditions and rule of law developments in China, as required by Title III of Public Law 106-286.
The full report and an executive summary are available on the CECC's website. "In the 2024 annual report released today, the CECC once again stands with the Chinese people against the Chinese Communist Party," said CECC Chair Smith. He emphasized that Western corporations complicit in these abuses, particularly those using supply chains tainted by forced labor, will no longer be able to claim ignorance.
Senator Merkley highlighted the global impact of China's actions: "The Chinese government’s assault on human dignity not only affects people in China but also increasingly those around the world, including the United States." He called for Congress and the incoming Trump Administration to act on CECC's recommendations.
The report provides a comprehensive account of systematic human rights abuses in regions such as Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hong Kong. It documents arbitrary detention and torture targeting ethnic minorities, human rights lawyers, advocates for free speech, religious freedom, and independent civil society. The report also addresses efforts by China to intimidate U.S. citizens critical of its human rights record through cyberattacks and threats.
CECC Commissioners view China's complicity in atrocity crimes and forced labor as a challenge to U.S. interests in maintaining universally recognized human rights norms. Other issues highlighted include atrocities in Xinjiang, risks faced by global businesses regarding forced labor use, suppression of labor rights activists amidst increased strikes, dismantling Hong Kong's democratic freedoms, cultural destruction among ethnic minorities like Tibetans and Uyghurs, control over civil society organizations deemed politically threatening, and forced repatriations of North Koreans from China.
The report includes recommendations for congressional action. Notably mentioned is the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which aims to prevent goods made by forced labor from entering U.S. markets. The Commission continues to advocate for additional funding for enforcement tasks related to this act.
In addition to legislative initiatives like the Transnational Repression Policy Act and others focused on Hong Kong economic certification and Uyghur genocide accountability, CECC maintains a Political Prisoner Database (PPD) with records of political prisoners detained or imprisoned under coercive controls.
The Chairs praised CECC’s research staff for their work on this year's report.
