Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and an active member of the Human Rights Caucus, highlighted China's human rights injustices and they're aggressive behavior towards their neighbors during today's forum hosted by the Asia Democracy Alliance:
"The Olympics have come and gone, and while many - myself included - were hopeful that it would provide an opportunity to shine a light on their continued human rights abuses, I don't think nearly enough emphasis was put on the issue.
There was much talk leading up to the Olympics. It seemed everywhere the Olympic torch went, controversy followed (expect of course in North Korea...). However, when the games got underway, it seemed all talk of human rights abuses, the way China treats Tibet, the way they continue to prop up the brutal regime in Burma, the way they forcibly repatriate North Korea dissidents, and the way they bully Vietnam, stopped.
Beijing literally beat members of the media into submission, expelling some and using force on others. As Reporters Without Borders found, 22 foreign journalists were either attacked or imprisoned for their "unfriendly" portrayal of the games. Radio Free Asia was denied access for their reporters first during the opening ceremonies and then again for the closing ceremonies.
And what of official protestors? All 77 people who filed formal petitions with the Chinese government for the right to protest were denied. Some were just told "no," however others fared far worse. Take for example the case of Wang Xiuying and Wu Dianquan, two 70 year old women who wanted to protest the flattening of their homes to make way for redevelopment in Beijing. For their transgression, these women were sentenced to do one year of hard labor in a Chinese labor camp.
Mrs. Wang and Wu won't be able to join us today, but that's why we're here. To continue to examine China's human rights abuses, and its aggressive behavior towards their neighbors.
China has been treating the South China Sea as its own personal lake, consistently claiming the Paracel islands off the coast of Vietnam and the Spratly islands between Vietnam and the Philippines - archipelagos rich in fishing and with petroleum reserves - as their own, despite Filipino, Malaysian, Taiwanese, and Vietnamese claims. Each of these countries have military garrisons in the disputed islands, with the exception of Brunei.
In addition to natural resources, these islands lie in one of the most strategic maritime straights in Asia, as all oil imports from the Middle East to Japan and Korea must pass through this region.
China's now trying to bully oil companies ExxonMobil and Britain's BP, calling on them to halt their joint ventures with PetroVietnam. Last year, China successfully scared off BP from exploring off southern Vietnam, citing territorial tensions with China.
Fortunately, it looks like the U.S. companies won't budge. US Ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Michalak said "we certainly don't like anybody interfering in the commercial operations of companies that are trying to carry out commercial contracts. I think it is up to the companies where they would like to work and with whom they would like to work."
Oil companies are confident of the legal basis of Vietnam's territorial claims - they're consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Some in China are so worked up over this matter, Chinese invasion plans of Vietnam have also been posted on major Chinese websites, purporting missile strikes and an invasion of 310,000 troops. One post wrote: "Vietnam is a major threat to the safety of Chinese territories, and the biggest obstacle to the peaceful emergence of China... Vietnam has to be conquered first if Southeast Asia is to be under [China's] control again."
China dismissed these posts as coming from ultra-nationalists, but it still raises concerns. It's amazing how quickly China can take down posts about Democracy and Freedom, but something like this takes them by complete surprise.
In the House, I introduced H.Con.Res. 234, calling on China to halt the repatriation of North Korean refugees. This resolution passed the House by voice vote in October 2007.
Leading up to the Olympics, China dramatically ramped up its efforts to round up as many North Korean refugees as it could. Beijing offered a sum of 8000 RMB to any citizen who turned in a North Korean refugee. That's a 1,600% increase from what was initially offered. For many living in rural China, that's a small fortune, and enough incentive for these villagers to hunt out North Korean refugees.
Chinese authorities reportedly also have established new detention centers along the border with North Korea to accommodate greater numbers of North Koreans prior to their repatriation. We need to say in the loudest voice that this is not acceptable!
China's mistreatment of these refugees is not new, but has intensified in recent years. The State Department reports that during 2006 "several thousand North Koreans were reportedly detained and forcibly returned to North Korea."
These refugees deserve better. Certainly Kim Chun-hee did. Ms. Kim is a North Korean woman in her thirties who sought refuge at a school in Beijing in December 2005, only to be repatriated. This despite attempts by the United States and others to raise her case with the Chinese. To this day, it is not known whether she is alive or dead. There are thousands of similar stories.
Those associated with humanitarian groups who assist North Korean refugees in Northeast China are also targeted by Chinese officials. This includes U.S. citizens. American businessman Steve Kim was released from a Chinese prison after four years. Mr. Kim's supposed "crime" was helping North Korean refugees who had escaped their homeland and were hiding in China, hoping to make their way to South Korea. Mr. Kim, who recently spoke on Capitol Hill about his experience, has recounted: "When I was in prison...I saw North Korean defectors, who I shared the prison cell with beaten to a pulp by prison guards." This was before they were sent back to North Korea."
###
