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.

“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 And the report scolded the government for its requirement, which was later withdrawn, that all computers in China be sold with pre-installed censorship software.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.

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.

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