Sec. 871. FINDINGS

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## SEC. 871 FINDINGS Congress makes the following findings: ####

(1)Congress concurs in the conclusions of the Department of State, as set forth in the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1998, on human rights in the People's Republic of China in 1998 as follows: #####

(A)``The People's Republic of China

(PRC)is an authoritarian state in which the Chinese Communist Party

(CCP)is the paramount source of power. . . . Citizens lack both the freedom peacefully to express opposition to the party-led political system and the right to change their national leaders or form of government.''. #####

(B)``The Government continued to commit widespread and well-documented human rights abuses, in violation of internationally accepted norms. These abuses stemmed from the authorities' very limited tolerance of public dissent aimed at the Government, fear of unrest, and the limited scope or inadequate implementation of laws protecting basic freedoms.''. #####

(C)``Abuses included instances of extrajudicial killings, torture and mistreatment of prisoners, forced confessions, arbitrary arrest and detention, lengthy incommunicado detention, and denial of due process.''. #####

(D)``Prison conditions at most facilities remained harsh. . . . The Government infringed on citizens' privacy rights. The Government continued restrictions on freedom of speech and of the press, and tightened these toward the end of the year. The Government severely restricted freedom of assembly, and continued to restrict freedom of association, religion, and movement.''. #####

(E)``Discrimination against women, minorities, and the disabled; violence against women, including coercive family planning practices—which sometimes include forced abortion and forced sterilization; prostitution, trafficking in women and children, and the abuse of children all are problems.''. #####

(F)``The Government continued to restrict tightly worker rights, and forced labor remains a problem.''. #####

(G)``Serious human rights abuses persisted in minority areas, including Tibet and Xinjiang, where restrictions on religion and other fundamental freedoms intensified.''. #####

(H)``Unapproved religious groups, including Protestant and Catholic groups, continued to experience varying degrees of official interference and repression.''. #####

(I)``Although the Government denies that it holds political or religious prisoners, and argues that all those in prison are legitimately serving sentences for crimes under the law, an unknown number of persons, estimated at several thousand, are detained in violation of international human rights instruments for peacefully expressing their political, religious, or social views.''. ####

(2)In addition to the State Department, credible press reports and human rights organizations have documented an intense crackdown on political activists by the Government of the People's Republic of China, involving the harassment, detainment, arrest, and imprisonment of dozens of activists. ####

(3)The People's Republic of China, as a member of the United Nations, is expected to abide by the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ####

(4)The People's Republic of China is a party to numerous international human rights conventions, including the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.