Lawmakers criticize China on Internet, human rights policies

China has come under criticism for its human rights record from a commission of lawmakers and executive branch officials.

The annual report from the Congressional-Executive Commission
on China expresses deep concern about continued human rights abuses and stalled
reforms in China.

{mosads}“To ensure a positive U.S.-China relationship, it is vital
that China’s leaders demonstrate genuine commitment, not just in words but in
deeds, to prioritizing fundamental rights in no lesser measure than they have
prioritized economic development,” the two chairmen of the commission, Sen.
Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) and Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.), said in a joint
statement.

The report, released Friday, specifically criticized
China’s government for harassing Chinese citizens who asked the government to
investigate the causes of a 2008 earthquake in Sichuan that killed tens of
thousands. It also criticizes the government for discrediting the Dalai Lama and
said repression increased in the Tibetan areas of China and the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region.

The report also singles out for criticism China’s efforts to control the
Internet; Chinese officials blocked access to domestic and
foreign websites based on their religious and political content. And the report scolded
the government for its requirement, which was later withdrawn, that all computers in
China be sold with pre-installed censorship software.

The report suggests that Congress and the administration get
input from government agencies, non-government organizations and private
companies on best practices and possible legislation that would ensure U.S.
companies promote free expression in China.

“A stable China firmly committed to the rule of law and
fundamental rights is in the national interest of the United States,” Levin and
Dorgan said in their statement. “Those rights include the right to speak
freely, the right to organize into independent unions, and to practice the
religion of one’s choosing.”

Nine senators and nine House members from both parties sit
on the commission. Executive branch commission officials have not been filled
by the Obama administration.

{mosads}Political freedom and trade are constant irritants in the
U.S.-China relationship, and the release of the commission’s report comes on
the heels of a report from the Treasury Department that found China does not
manipulate its currency.

Treasury did criticize China for a lack of flexibility in
its currency.

Dorgan and Levin are among the members of Congress who
believe China pegs its currency to the U.S. dollar as a means of boosting its
exports. Many members of Congress see this as hurting U.S. manufacturers and
workers, who must compete with inexpensive Chinese imports.