The demand includes the immediate release of Uyghur prisoners held by the Chinese government.
By Tursunjan, November 10, 2023
WASHINGTON, DC – In anticipation of President Biden’s upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in San Francisco, House Select Committee on CCP Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Republican members of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party have issued a letter containing key demands.
Initially reported by NBC, the letter emphasizes the need for a shift in the administration’s approach to China, urging President Biden to challenge Xi on several fronts, particularly regarding human rights issues and the wrongful imprisonment of American citizens in Communist China.
Earlier last week, human rights groups, including the World Uyghur Congress and the Uyghur Human Rights Project, issued a joint statement calling on President Biden to press Xi on human rights, including the Uyghur genocide.
The committee members addressing President Biden include Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO), Andy Barr (R-KY), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), John Moolenaar (R-MI), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Jim Banks (R-IN), Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), and Carlos Gimenez (R-FL).
The letter criticizes the administration’s decline in action towards the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) over the past 18 months, specifically on human rights matters. While acknowledging certain positive measures, such as strengthened semiconductor export controls, the committee expresses concern over what they perceive as a lack of substantial progress.
The lawmakers assert, “[Y]our administration’s public position on competition and cooperation with the PRC has remained the same, but competitive actions have been sacrificed to advance aimless, zombie-like engagement.”
The letter highlights tradeoffs that, according to the committee, have resulted in minimal benefit. Despite concessions from Washington, the committee notes that Beijing has not taken meaningful actions on issues such as deadly fentanyl precursor flows, market access in line with trade commitments, tensions in the Taiwan Strait, military provocations in the South China Sea, and espionage against the United States.
Chairman Gallagher and his colleagues outline ten basic demands for Xi Jinping, describing them as a bare minimum for fostering goodwill and moving toward a more constructive relationship with the United States. These demands include the release of wrongfully detained U.S. citizens, allowing exit-banned citizens to leave China, establishing controls on fentanyl precursor shipments, and ending military operations in specific regions.
The lawmakers underscore the significance of these actions as a demonstration of good faith on Xi’s part, urging him to address these concerns during his meeting with President Biden next week.
