• Beijing High People's Court Affirms Liu Xiaobo's 11-Year Sentence (2/26/10)
  

• Liu Xiaobo Appeals Sentence; Official Abuses Mar Case from Outset (1/21/10)
  

• Beijing Court Sentences Liu Xiaobo to 11 Years (1/5/10)
  

• Joint Statement by CECC Chairman Byron Dorgan and Cochairman Sander Levin on the Trial of Liu Xiaobo (12/23/09)
  

• Prosecutors Indict Liu Xiaobo; Trial To Take Place December 23 (12/22/09)
  

• Joint Statement by Chairman Byron Dorgan and Cochairman Sander Levin - Human Rights Day 2009 (12/9/09)
  

• Beijing Police Transfer Liu Xiaobo's Case to Prosecutors (12/9/09)
  

• Beijing Police Formally Arrest Liu Xiaobo on Inciting Subversion Charge (7/2/09)
  

• Officials Extend Liu Xiaobo's Residential Surveillance Beyond Legal Time Limit (6/9/09)
  

• Officials Harass Charter 08 Signers; Liu Xiaobo Under Residential Surveillance (1/14/09)
  

• Charter 08 and the Detention of Liu Xiaobo (12/17/08)
  

• Charter 08 (Chinese and English Text) (12/10/08)
  

• Over 300 Citizens Issue "Charter 08"; Several Activists Detained (12/9/08)
  

• Beijing Police Crack Down on Human Rights Activists During U.N. High Commissioner's Visit (8/30/05)
  

• Chinese Authorities Crack Down on Freedom of Expression, Detain Four Writers, Encourage Strengthening Restrictions on the Media (12/14/04)
  

• Political Prisoners Known or Believed to be Detained or Imprisoned in China as of July 25, 2010 (1,383 Cases) (7/25/10)
  

• CECC Political Prisoner Database
  

Statement of the Chairman and Cochairman on Political Imprisonment in China Today

Statement of CECC Chairman Byron Dorgan and Cochairman Sander Levin on the Newly Enhanced Political Prisoner Database

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New Provisions Impose Stronger Requirements on Officials for Reporting Personal Assets


On July 11, 2010, Chinese authorities announced that provisions requiring officials to disclose personal and family assets, and other personal information to Communist Party organs had been issued in May. The 2010 provisions replace similar reporting requirements issued in 1995 (personal financial disclosure requirements) and 2006 (personal information disclosure requirements) and unify the two reporting systems. The 2010 provisions broaden the range of officials who must submit reports and require not only Communist Party cadres, but also non-Communist Party cadres to disclose personal and financial information to the Party. The provisions also clarify report monitoring and management procedures, and outline stiffer punishments for non-compliance. Like one of the earlier provisions, however, the 2010 provisions still do not provide for public oversight and do not necessarily apply to China's large body of officials below the county department level. The 2010 provisions are a part of a series of recent measures instituted by the Communist Party and the Chinese government designed to improve accountability and to address official corruption, which the public rates as a major problem and the Party considers a threat to its legitimacy.

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Harassment of Journalists Sparks Outcry in Chinese Press


In the summer of 2010, several high-profile incidents involving the harassment of journalists for reporting on local officials and companies have highlighted both local efforts to prevent unwelcome media coverage and the Chinese media's attempts to push back by calling for greater rights for journalists. At the same time, however, the media have been careful not to challenge the central government directly. The incidents involved journalists whose critical reporting on local companies prompted police action or physical assault by thugs connected to the targeted companies. Incidents also involved local officials barring journalists from covering events, such as a plane crash, that officials regarded as potentially embarassing. The incidents prompted editorials, op-eds, and news articles in Chinese media, many defending the journalists. It is unclear what long-term impact this recent flurry of media attention will have on press freedom in China. Communist Party control over news content and heavy government regulation illustrate the Chinese government's failure to comply with international human rights standards on free expression.

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SASAC Issues New Commercial Secrets Regulations


In March and April 2010, the Chinese government issued two key pieces of legislation on protection of secrets. On March 25, 2010, the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) approved the Interim Provisions on the Protection of Commercial Secrets of Central Enterprises (Provisions), concerning protection of commercial secrets (also known as "business secrets" or "trade secrets") by central-level state-owned enterprises (zhongyang qiye). The Provisions came into effect on April 26. Three days later, on April 29, the National People's Congress Standing Committee passed the amended Law on the Protection of State Secrets (Amendments), which maintains the vague and broad definition of state secrets written in the law prior to the amendment. The Amendments came into effect in October. The issuance of the Provisions and Amendments drew particular attention of observers, occurring as it did against the backdrop of the arrest and conviction, and later sentencing, of four employees of Anglo-Australian company, Rio Tinto. The four employees were arrested in July 2009 for violating state secrets laws, though the charges subsequently were lowered to infringing commercial secrets and bribery.

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Authorities Prevent Some Human Rights Defenders From Traveling


Chinese authorities have appeared increasingly to restrict rights defenders' ability to leave China in recent months. Since April, authorities detained several rights defenders at airports in China, before they could board international flights. Authorities cited China's Law on the Control of the Exit and Entry of Citizens as justification for preventing rights defenders from traveling, or, in some cases, provided no official explanation.

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National Conferences Highlight Restrictions on Buddhist and Taoist Doctrine


National conferences of China's state-run Taoist and Buddhist "patriotic religious organizations" from the past eight months have highlighted the restrictions that the Chinese government places on the religious activities of those communities. Few reports regarding the restrictions that the Chinese government places on China's Taoists and non-Tibetan Buddhists reach the international media. However, like members of other officially recognized religious communities in China, Buddhists and Taoists who worship at officially sanctioned temples in China encounter state interference in their religious practice and teaching. Chinese government policy requires that Taoist and Buddhist religious groups affiliate with state-run "patriotic religious organizations" that manage their affairs. Those who practice these faiths at religious sites that the government does not recognize face the possibility that their places of worship will be closed or demolished. China's state-controlled Buddhist and Taoist organizations modify doctrine to eliminate some elements that the Communist Party regards as incompatible with its goals. In addition, authorities designate some religious groups that function independently of state control as "cults," raising the possibility of administrative or criminal punishment for religious leaders and followers.

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Ministry of Public Security Issues Ban on Public Parades of Suspected Sex Workers


In July 2010, the Ministry of Public Security issued a Circular prohibiting police from publicly parading criminal suspects allegedly involved in sex work. The announcement follows extensive media coverage of the public shaming of sex workers in Guangdong and Hubei provinces. The controversial parading of criminal suspects has elicited criticism from the Chinese news media and sympathy from Chinese citizens, particularly Internet users. Chinese officials previously have attempted to prohibit the practice, but in recent years high-profile incidents indicating its continued prevalence have gained widespread media attention.

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Members of Henan House Church Ordered To Serve Reeducation Through Labor


A house church pastor and church member in Henan province are currently awaiting a court ruling that will determine whether or not they each will be required to serve one year of reeducation through labor (RTL), a form of administrative punishment without trial. The two had appealed a July 2010 Henan court ruling against them in an administrative lawsuit in which they had challenged the legality of the RTL punishments. Local public security officers detained the two men and several other members of the unregistered church in March and accused them of belonging to a "cult" organization, a designation that authorities have used in some cases to interfere with the activities of religious communities that run afoul of government or Party policy. Public security officers reportedly harassed the two men and other members of the Tianmiao Town Church on multiple occasions while they were in detention. In September, authorities harassed and detained seven members of unregistered Protestant churches who attempted to enter the courtroom during the two men's appeal trial, including members of their families.

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Authorities Continue To Restrict Ramadan Observance in Xinjiang


Authorities in the far western region of Xinjiang exert tight control over religious practice in the region, in a number of cases imposing limits on religious activities that are harsher than restrictions imposed elsewhere in China. Authorities single out Islam in some instances, as illustrated by a series of recent reports illustrating continued controls over Muslims' observance of the holiday of Ramadan. During the month-long period of daily fasting, which ended in mid-September, some local governments described steps to curb observance of the holiday, including barring some people from fasting, ordering restaurants to stay open, and increasing oversight of religious venues.

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New Information Released on Uyghur Political Prisoners Mehbube Ablesh and Omer Akchi


New information is now available on the cases of two Uyghur political prisoners serving prison sentences in the far western region of Xinjiang. According to information from the Dui Hua Foundation, Mehbube Ablesh, a radio station employee detained in 2008 in apparent connection to her criticism of Chinese government policies, is now known to be serving a three-year sentence for "splittism" (separatism). The date she was sentenced is not known. Omer Akchi, a farmer sentenced to 14 years in prison in 1997 for a "counterrevolutionary" crime in connection to an organization he allegedly led, is now known to have had his sentence extended in December 2006 to life in prison for a "splittist" crime. The details of this crime are not known. As of October 2010, he is the only known living prisoner in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China's Political Prisoner Database who has had his sentence extended to life imprisonment.

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Discriminatory Job Hiring Practices Continue in Xinjiang


Job recruitment in the far western region of Xinjiang continues to discriminate against Uyghurs and other groups by reserving positions exclusively for Han Chinese. The job recruitment practices, including in a number of government positions, contravene provisions in Chinese law that forbid discrimination. Examples from recent months include one civil servant recruitment drive that reserved 78 percent of available positions for Han. The remainder of the positions was either reserved for ethnic minorities or available to all candidates. The groups the Chinese government defines as "ethnic minorities" comprise roughly 60 percent of Xinjiang's population.

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Mongol Rights Advocate Sodmongol Remains in Custody Following April Detention at Beijing Airport


Sodmongol, a Mongol rights advocate, remains in custody following his detention in April. He was about to depart for New York to attend the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues when authorities at the Beijing Capital International Airport detained him. His case represents the second time in two years that authorities have prevented Mongol rights advocates from participating in UN forums on the protection of indigenous peoples. The Chinese government does not recognize any communities within its borders as "indigenous peoples."

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Hong Kong Legislative Council Approves Reform Package, After Democrats and Mainland Government Reach Compromise


On June 24, 2010, Hong Kong's Legislative Council (Legco) passed a resolution increasing the election committee that selects the chief executive from 800 to 1,200 members, and on June 25, Legco passed a proposal increasing the number of its seats from 60 to 70. Both reforms will take effect for the 2012 election. These votes were based on the Package of Proposals for the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the Legislative Council, which the Hong Kong government released on April 14, 2010. The votes followed a compromise between Hong Kong's democrats and mainland officials, but reflect limitations imposed by China in a 2007 National People's Congress decision on constitutional reform.

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Communist Party Seeks To Restrict Already Limited Critical Media Reports


The Communist Party reportedly has issued an order that could further diminish Chinese newspapers' already limited space to write stories critical of local-level officials. The order, directed at market-oriented "metropolitan" newspapers, which have developed reputations for more independent reporting, would prevent these newspapers from publishing "negative" stories about other localities, a practice known as yidi jiandu (translated into English as "outside area supervision" or "extra-territorial supervision"). Though officials have sought to curb this practice in recent years, Chinese journalists have engaged in yidi jiandu in part to counter local officials' attempts to bar media within their jurisdiction from reporting "negative" stories about the locality.

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Xinjiang Authorities Target Beards, Veils in Campaigns To Tighten Control Over Religion


Authorities in the far western region of Xinjiang have carried out campaigns in 2010 and previous years targeting Muslim men who wear large beards and women who wear veils (singling out face veiling in a number of cases), tying the practices in the Muslim-majority region to "religious extremism" and "backwardness." The campaigns against beards and veils come as Xinjiang authorities continue to tighten controls over religion in the region. Amid these campaigns, newly available information indicates that authorities imposed prison sentences on two men in 2007 and 2008 in cases that reportedly have connections to the men wearing beards.

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Government Policy on Tibetan Reincanation Leads to Expulsions, Detentions, Suicide


A series of events from May to July 2010 at Shag Rongpo, a little-known monastery located in Naqu (Nagchu) county, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), has resulted in the expulsion and apparent house arrest of the 75-year-old abbot, the detention of other monks, the sentencing of one monk to imprisonment, the expulsion and apparent sentencing of 17 monks to "public surveillance," and the suicide of a 70-year-old monk, according to reports from Tibetan organizations based in India. The events began when Chinese officials reportedly accused the abbot, who also served as the monastery's senior Buddhism teacher, of contacting the Dalai Lama about the search for the reincarnation of a Shag Ronpgo trulku—a teacher whom Tibetan Buddhists believe is one of a lineage of reincarnated teachers that can span centuries. After the May detentions, officials and People's Armed Police arrived at the monastery to conduct "patriotic education" and pressure monks to denounce the Dalai Lama and the monastery's senior teacher.

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Ministry of Public Security Launches Seven-Month Nationwide "Strike Hard" Campaign


In June 2010, the Ministry of Public Affairs launched a seven-month "strike hard" campaign aimed at quelling "crimes of extreme violence." The official campaign report specifically calls on public security officers to "strengthen strike hard measures" and to "increase efforts to resolve social conflicts." Chinese and international media outlets have noted that the campaign announcement follows highly publicized incidents, including a series of school attacks. Critics of the "strike hard" campaigns claim that the nationwide campaigns signal a step back for human rights protections in China. Some Chinese scholars and lawyers have expressed concerns that efforts to meet law enforcement targets under "strike hard" campaigns lead to wrongful convictions and abuses of criminal procedure.

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New Foreign Exchange Rules May Pose Difficulties for Chinese NGOs

New rules issued last year by China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange took effect on March 1, tightening previously-issued rules concerning foreign donations to Chinese organizations. The new rules add procedures and increase the paperwork burden imposed upon Chinese organizations—including non-governmental organizations (NGOs)—wishing to receive financial contributions from overseas organizations. Five months after the rules took effect, some researchers and media reports are beginning to note, with specific examples, authorities' selective enforcement of the rules in a manner that may target groups working on issues the government deems to be "sensitive."

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Chinese Government Response to Strikes

Since a series of labor strikes in southern Chinese factories in May 2010, recent Chinese media reports have offered clues about the government's reaction. Media coverage of the wage increases that the strikes have spurred has been positive, but the Party appears to remain highly wary of any labor movement not under its direct control. The strikes also have highlighted the shortcomings of "collective consultation" in China, but government leaders remain intent on centralizing power in the state-run All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) rather than devolving autonomy to grassroots labor organizations.

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Xinjiang Court Imposes Prison Sentences on Uyghur Journalist and Webmasters

A court in the far western region of Xinjiang sentenced a journalist and three Web site administrators to prison sentences in July for endangering state security. Gheyret Niyaz, a Uyghur journalist and Web editor, received a 15-year prison sentence. Prosecutors at trial cited essays he wrote addressing economic and social problems affecting Uyghurs; sources also connected the case to interviews he gave to foreign media after demonstrations and rioting in Xinjiang in July 2009. In separate cases, Web site administrators Nijat Azat, Dilshat Perhat, and Nureli received sentences of 10, 5, and 3 years, respectively, on the same charges, in reported connection to articles posted on their Web sites describing hardships in Xinjiang and announcements on one of the Web sites calling for the demonstration in Urumqi in July 2009. Other Uyghur journalists, writers, and Web site workers from Xinjiang remain in prison or in detention for exercising their right to free expression, including people whose cases also are connected to the July 2009 events.

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Internet Available in Xinjiang, But Controls Over Information Remain

Authorities in the far western region of Xinjiang continue to exert tight control over freedom of expression, imposing limits on expression in a number of cases that are harsher than restrictions imposed elsewhere in China. Following demonstrations and rioting in Xinjiang in July 2009, authorities restricted access to the Internet, text messaging, and international telephone calls, claiming that they played a key role in inciting unrest. While authorities largely restored access to the technologies by May 2010, harsh restrictions on expression remain in place: popular Uyghur Web sites remain inaccessible and staff of some Uyghur Web sites remain in detention or in prison, Xinjiang residents report prohibitions against discussing the July 2009 events online, legal regulations imposing tight controls over free expression remain in force, and the Xinjiang government continues to carry out wide-scale censorship campaigns.

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Government Appears To Crack Down on Microblogs and Blogs

An apparent government crackdown on microblogs and blogs in China reportedly began in mid-July 2010, involving service disruptions at major microblogging sites, removal of the blogs of well-known activists and lawyers, and increased monitoring of journalists' blogs. Blogs and microblogs have become increasingly popular in China, with hundreds of millions of users.

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Authorities Bolster Ethnic Unity Campaigns, Promote Spreading Party Policy During Ethnic Minority Holidays

In recent years, the Chinese government and Communist Party have strengthened "ethnic unity" campaigns as a vehicle for promulgating Party policy on ethnic issues and for imposing state-defined interpretations of the history, relations, and current conditions of ethnic groups in China. Campaigns and official documents promoting "ethnic unity" have imposed far-reaching controls on freedom of expression in China. After central government and Party authorities issued guidance on ethnic unity in 2008 and 2009, authorities publicized a new document this July to further strengthen ethnic unity. The new document appears to intensify past measures by calling on authorities to use the "traditional holidays" of ethnic minorities to promote state ethnic unity campaigns. The recent guidance follows a major speech by President and Party General Secretary Hu Jintao in September 2009 on "promoting ethnic unity" and "realizing common progress," which he delivered in the wake of protests and riots in Tibetan areas in March 2008 and in the far western region of Xinjiang in July 2009

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Bishop Jia Zhiguo Refuses To Join State-Controlled Church After 15 Months of Detention

Authorities in Hebei province recently released unregistered Catholic bishop Jia Zhiguo after detaining him in an unknown location for 15 months. Prior to Jia's latest detention, the Chinese government had harassed and detained him repeatedly since the early 1960s. Chinese policy requires Catholic communities in China to affiliate with the Catholic Patriotic Association (CPA), a state-controlled entity that monitors and controls Catholic doctrine, practices, property, and personnel. The Chinese government continues to deny Catholics in China the freedom to accept the authority of the Holy See to appoint bishops in China, and the government continues to harass or detain some bishops and priests who defy this policy.

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Beijing Court Sentences American Geologist to Eight Years for State Secrets

On July 5, 2010, the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court sentenced Dr. Xue Feng, a naturalized American citizen, to eight years in prison for allegedly helping the American company he worked for purchase commercial information on oil wells in China. The court said the information was a state secret and the purchase had endangered China's national security. Officials reportedly did not declare the information a state secret until after the transaction occurred; attempted to coerce Dr. Xue into confessing to the crime by allegedly torturing him; violated China's consular agreement with the United States by delaying notification of Dr. Xue's detention and limiting access by American officials; and violated China's Criminal Procedure Law with respect to the handling of Dr. Xue's case. The case also highlights the risk for foreign companies and their employees competing or doing business with China's state-owned enterprises, which can leverage state secrets laws to protect their commercial interests.

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Case of Wrongful Conviction in Henan Captures National Attention

In early May, Chinese and international media reported on the case of wrongfully convicted Zhao Zuohai who served 10 years in prison before his alleged murder victim returned home. Subsequent to his release, Zhao reported that officials had repeatedly used torture on him to extract a confession. The case has sparked national debate over the use of torture to coerce confessions in criminal prosecutions.

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Central Leaders Hold Forum on Xinjiang, Stress Development and Stability as Dual Goals

Top central government and Communist Party leaders held a major "work forum" in May to set state economic and political objectives for the far western region of Xinjiang. Authorities at the conference defined promoting "development by leaps and bounds" and upholding stability as twin goals for the region. They also announced a series of initiatives to spur economic growth and to support social welfare. Following the forum, local leaders in Xinjiang unveiled concrete initiatives to implement the objectives of the May meeting, some of which could bring economic benefits to the region. Other initiatives, however, appear likely to clash with residents' rights, especially the rights of Uyghurs and other non-Han groups to preserve their cultures, languages, and livelihoods. The recent plans intensify a trend of top-down initiatives that prioritize state economic and political goals over the promotion of regional autonomy provided for under Chinese law and broader protections of XUAR residents' rights.

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Recent Worker Actions in China

In recent weeks, reports have appeared in Chinese and international media outlets highlighting strikes at enterprises throughout China, many at foreign-owned enterprises, and other incidents involving workers, including suicides. Chinese and international journalists, academics, and activists have penned essays and articles attempting to explain the causes of the recent spate of worker incidents. Some of these pieces have taken an interpretive angle, bringing out themes—such as the Chinese government's denial of the right to free association, the rights of migrant workers, and changing attitudes of a new generation of workers—that have persisted in China since economic reforms began in 1978.

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Relatives Visit Imprisoned Buddhist Teacher Tenzin Deleg, Officials Report Ill Health

Officials in Sichuan province permitted two sisters of imprisoned Tibetan Buddhist teacher Tenzin Deleg (A'an Zhaxi) to visit him at an unspecified location on April 27, 2010, according to a June 11 Radio Free Asia (RFA) report. Prison officials informed the women that their brother is suffering from multiple illnesses, though sources told RFA that Tenzin Deleg had "played down" reports of his illness and his sisters said he appeared to be "reasonably well." The officials' unexpected notice to the sisters that they could visit their brother and the officials' unsolicited disclosure of information on his medical condition occurred approximately one year and nine months prior to January 2012, when Tenzin Deleg will have completed seven years of his sentence of life imprisonment—the period of time he must serve under Chinese regulations before officials can consider whether or not his illnesses may qualify him for release on medical parole (see below).

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Restrictions on Religion Continue in Xinjiang

Authorities in the far western region of Xinjiang exert tight control over religious practice in the region, in a number of cases imposing limits on religious activities that are harsher than restrictions imposed elsewhere in China. Authorities single out Muslim practices in some instances, as a number of recent reports detail. Authorities have claimed "illegal religious activities" and "religious extremism" as threats to the region's stability and blamed "religious extremism" as one source of unrest during demonstrations and rioting in Xinjiang in July 2009. Several recent government and media reports detail tight controls over religious activity in the year since the demonstrations and rioting took place. Such controls include steps to monitor mosques and pre-examine sermons, to prevent children from "believing in a religion," and to punish religious believers engaged in activities outside of officially approved parameters.

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Government White Paper on Internet Claims Free Speech Protected

The State Council Information Office released its White Paper on the State of the Internet in China in June 2010 claiming that the Chinese government's regulation of the Internet guarantees freedom of speech and is consistent with international practice. The white paper highlights the government's efforts to expand Internet access and what it describes as lively exchanges on China's Internet, stating that large numbers of citizens express opinions online through blogs and comment boards. The white paper fails to address, however, aspects of China's regulation of the Internet that violate international human rights standards, including routine filtering of politically sensitive content and vague and broadly worded prohibitions on content.

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Chinese Human Rights Defender Gao Zhisheng Disappears Again

Prominent Chinese human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng, who in late March 2010 resurfaced after having disappeared for more than a year, has again gone missing. The latest disappearance comes only a month after Gao reappeared in public following his nearly 14 months in what experts on the case describe as official custody. In late March and early April, Gao made contact with friends and family and gave several interviews, during which he reportedly appeared to be under surveillance. Multiple international news outlets now have reported that Gao failed to return to Beijing after visiting with family in western China in mid-April, and has again disappeared.

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Hong Kong Government Releases Proposals for Constitutional Reform

On April 14, 2010, the Hong Kong government released its "Package of Proposals for the Methods for Selecting the Chief Executive and for Forming the Legislative Council in 2012." The package of proposals increases the membership of the Legislative Council and of the committee that selects the chief executive. However, the proposals reflect limitations imposed by China in a 2007 decision on constitutional reform.

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2010 Annual Report

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China issued its 2010 Annual Report on human rights conditions and the development of the rule of law in China on October 10, 2010. Full report: PDF version, text version.

Partial List of Political Prisoners Known or Believed to be Detained or Imprisoned in China as of October 10, 2010 (1,452 Cases)

View Record of Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo

Click here to search the full CECC Political Prisoner Database of over 5,507 cases

HEARING

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo and the Future of Political Reform in China (11/9/10)

Tuesday, November 9, 2010, 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628

Last month, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to imprisoned Chinese writer and democracy advocate, Liu Xiaobo, recognizing his "long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China." Liu currently is serving an eleven-year sentence in a Chinese prison for "inciting subversion of state power," in part for his role in Charter 08, a document calling for human rights and political reform in China. What are the prospects for political reform in China today? Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao recently was quoted as saying, "if there is no guarantee of reform of the political system, then results obtained from the reform of the economic system may be lost . . .." When China's leaders make such references to "reform of the political system," what exactly do they mean? As China prepares for major leadership changes in 2012, these developments provide an opportune moment to assess debates over political reform in China, to ask what Liu Xiaobo's writings and advocacy mean for China and what impact, if any, his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize may have on democracy and human rights in China, and with what consequence for the United States?

Witnesses:

Kwame Anthony Appiah, President, PEN American Center, and Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor of Philosophy and the University Center for Human Values, Princeton University

Bruce Gilley, Professor of Political Science, Portland State University

Elizabeth C. Economy, C.V. Starr Senior Fellow and Director for Asia Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

Phelim Kine, China Researcher, Human Rights Watch

All CECC hearings are open to the public. No RSVP is necessary.

View recorded webcast here.

ROUNDTABLE

2010 Annual Report: New Developments in Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China (10/20/10)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628

At this Roundtable on the release of the Commission's 2010 Annual Report, research specialists on the Commission staff provided an overview of major trends and developments in human rights and the rule of law in China over the past year, with a particular focus on freedom of expression and the Internet, and developments in Tibet, and Xinjiang. Commission research specialists also will highlight the report's key findings and provide further analysis on significant trends in commercial rule of law, labor rights, criminal justice, the environment, religion, ethnic minority rights and access to justice.

HEARING

Will China Protect Intellectual Property? New Developments in Counterfeiting, Piracy, and Forced Technology Transfer (9/22/10)

Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628

For several years, this Commission has noted that intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement in China remains weak, and counterfeiting and piracy continue to be widespread across many sectors of the Chinese economy. This is the case despite significant changes to China' a P labor.< and industry, policy, technology in experts include Witnesses businesses. jobs American on impact the China; to advanced transfer firms, U.S. including companies, foreign pressuring is China how rights property intellectual of enforcement piracy, counterfeiting, trends examined share. market loss resulting China, disadvantage competitive at firms non-Chinese put have force requirements access other utilization innovation indigenous policy China?s recently, More (WTO). Organization Trade World accession for preparing began since regime s>

Witnesses:

Christian Murck, President, American Chamber of Commerce in the People's Republic of China

Thea Mei Lee, Deputy Chief of Staff, AFL-CIO

Greg Frazier, Executive Vice President for Worldwide Government Policy, Motion Picture Association of America

Richard P. Suttmeier, Professor of Political Science, Emeritus, University of Oregon

All CECC hearings are open to the public. No RSVP is necessary.

View a recorded video of this hearing.

ROUNDTABLE

China and Human Trafficking: Updates and Analysis (8/20/10)

Friday, August 20, 2010, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628

At this CECC roundtable, panelists examined recent developments in the Chinese government's efforts to combat human trafficking and discuss prospects for and obstacles to further progress. In the last year the Chinese government has acceded to the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. Will its accession impact developments on the ground? What challenges do current labor conditions in China present for defining and addressing human trafficking, including labor trafficking? How do political pressure and human rights in China intersect with the issue of human trafficking?

View recorded C-SPAN video coverage here.

HEARING

Political Prisoners in China: Trends and Implications for U.S. Policy (8/3/10)

Tuesday August 3, 2010, 10:15 a.m. to 12 noon
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628

Recent trials of scholars, activists, lawyers, and others in China have shined a spotlight on the Chinese government's use of detention and imprisonment to squelch dissent or advance government objectives. Witnesses examined whether political imprisonment is on the rise in China; whether the profile of political prisoners in China today is changing compared to years past; how does the threat of political imprisonment affect the work of people and organizations who are engaged in human rights advocacy or who are involved in commercial activity in China, including U.S. citizens as well as citizens of China; what opportunities have Chinese citizens lost as a result of the chilling effects of political imprisonment; and should the U.S. government be more concerned about political imprisonment in China, and what implications does it have for U.S. policy?

View a recorded video of this hearing.

ROUNDTABLE

China's Far West: Conditions in Xinjiang One Year After Demonstrations and Riots (7/19/10)

Monday, July 19, 2010, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 628

At this CECC roundtable, panelists examined conditions in the far western region of Xinjiang one year after demonstrations and rioting occurred there. Events in July 2009 exposed longstanding tensions in the region and Uyghurs' grievances toward government policies that threaten basic rights. Authorities pledged in 2010 to improve economic conditions in Xinjiang and appointed a new Party secretary for the region. How will these new developments shape Xinjiang's future? Is the government effectively addressing Uyghurs' grievances? How have government controls over the free flow of information affected our understanding of events in the region?

ROUNDTABLE

Prospects for Democracy in Hong Kong: Assessing China's International Commitments (7/14/10)

Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Room 138, Dirksen Senate Office Building

Hong Kong's basic freedoms for the most part have been maintained under "one country, two systems." In June of this year, Hong Kong took its first steps toward constitutional reform since the British handed the territory back to China in 1997. This roundtable examined these recent constitutional reforms, mainland China's engagement in Hong Kong, and how Hong Kong may contribute to the development of democracy and civil society in China.

ROUNDTABLE

China's Policies Toward Spiritual Movements (6/18/10)

Friday, June 18, 2010, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Room 628, Dirksen Senate Office Building

Panelists examined the Chinese government's policies toward spiritual movements and the factors that drive its treatment of members of spiritual groups.

ROUNDTABLE

Transparency in Environmental Protection and Climate Change in China (4/1/10)

Thursday, April 1, 2010, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Room 628, Dirksen Senate Office Building

At this CECC Roundtable, a panel of experts examined the challenge of government transparency in environmental protection and climate change in China.

HEARING

Google and Internet Control in China: A Nexus Between Human Rights and Trade? (3/24/10)

Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Room 628, Dirksen Senate Office Building

The recent Google controversy with China raises the question of whether China's regulation of the Internet is both a human rights and a trade issue. Witnesses examined the challenges and hazards China's regulation of the Internet poses both to advocates of free expression and to foreign companies doing business in China; and possible ways for policymakers and private actors to respond to China's regulation of the Internet from both the human rights and trade perspectives.

View a recorded video of this hearing.

ROUNDTABLE

Women in a Changing China (3/8/10)

Monday, March 8, 2010, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Room B-318, Rayburn House Office Building.

A panel of experts explored the Chinese government's progress and challenges in addressing issues that impact women's rights inlcuding domestic violence, land rights, gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and human trafficking.

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China issued a special report titled Special Topic Paper: Tibet 2008-2009 on October 22, 2009. The report provides expanded coverage and in-depth analysis of key recent developments and trends in Tibet and builds on the Commission's 2009 Annual Report.

China and Human Trafficking: Updates and Analysis (8/20/10)

China's Far West: Conditions in Xinjiang One Year After the Demonstrations and Riots (7/19/10)

Prospects for Democracy in Hong Kong: Assessing China's International Commitments (7/14/10)

China's Policies Toward Spiritual Movements (6/18/10)

Transparency in Environmental Protection and Climate Change in China (4/1/10)

Women in a Changing China  (3/8/10)

China's Citizen Complaint System: Prospects for Accountability  (12/04/09)

Gao Yaojie: Physician, Grandmother, and Whistleblower in China's Fight Against HIV/AIDS  (12/03/09)

Reporting the News in China: First-Hand Accounts and Current Trends  (7/31/09)

China's Human Rights Lawyers: Current Challenges and Prospects  (7/10/09)

The Financial Crisis and the Changing Role of Workers in China  (6/19/09)

What "Democracy" Means in China After Thirty Years of Reform   (5/22/09)

The Rising Stakes of Refugee Issues in China   (5/1/09)

A Year After the March 2008 Protests: Is China Promoting Stability in Tibet?  (3/13/09)

Does China Have a Stability Problem?   (2/27/09)

Human Rights in Xinjiang: Recent Developments (2/13/09)

The UN Human Rights Council's Review of China's Record: Process and Challenges (1/16/09)

Human Rights and Rule of Law in China: Where Are We Now and Where Do We Go From Here? (12/12/08)

On the Eve of the Beijing Olympics: China's Information Lockdown (7/16/08)

Xinjiang: Rights Abuses in China's Muslim Western Region (5/14/08)

2009 Annual Report

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China issued its 2009 Annual Report on human rights conditions and the development of the rule of law in China on October 10, 2009. Click here for the full report (text/(pdf).

2008 Annual Report

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China issued its 2008 Annual Report on human rights conditions and the development of the rule of law in China on Friday, October 31, 2008. Click here for the full report (text/pdf).

2007 Annual Report

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China issued its 2007 Annual Report on human rights conditions and the development of the rule of law in China on Wednesday, October 10, 2007. Click here for the full report (text/pdf).

Xinjiang Demonstrations

See also the CECC Chairman's and Cochairman's Statement on the Xinjiang Demonstrations.

China's Olympic Commitments

See also the CECC Chairman's and Cochairman's Statement on China's Olympic Commitments. Click here for the full transcript and supporting materials from the Commission's Hearing on "The Impact of the 2008 Olympic Games on Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China."

Tibetan Protests

See also the CECC Chairman's Statement on the Tibetan Protests.

China's Household Registration System

Available in English (html or pdf) and Chinese (html or pdf).

Newsletter Archives

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"Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo and the Future of Political Reform in China" (11/9/10)

"Will China Protect Intellectual Property? New Developments in Counterfeiting, Piracy, and Forced Technology Transfer" (9/22/10)

"Political Prisoners in China: Trends and Implications for U.S. Policy" (8/3/10)

Google and Internet Control in China: A Nexus Between Human Rights and Trade? (3/24/10)

Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China (10/7/09)

The 20th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protests: Examining the Significance of the 1989 Demonstrations in China and Implications for U.S. Policy (6/4/09)

What Will Drive China's Future Legal Development? Reports from the Field (6/18/08)

The Impact of the 2008 Olympic Games on Human Rights and the Rule of Law in China (02/27/08)

Human Rights and Rule of Law in China (09/20/06)

Combating Human Trafficking in China: Domestic and International Efforts (03/06/06)

Law in Political Transitions: Lessons from East Asia and the Road Ahead for China (7/26/05)

Religious Freedom in China (11/18/04)