Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Representative James P. McGovern (MA-02)—Ranking Members of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)—led Congressional Democrats in calling attention to the Chinese government’s treatment of political prisoners and its ongoing campaign of transnational repression. They sent two letters ahead of People’s Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States this week and his expected meeting with President Donald Trump.
The lawmakers urged Trump to use this summit as an opportunity to secure the release of those wrongfully detained in China, including American citizen Min Zin, and stressed, “Even a single mention of a detainee’s name by a senior U.S. official, let alone by yourself, can significantly increase that individual’s chances of clemency or improved treatment. We urge you to be their champion during President Xi Jinping’s upcoming visit.”
Joining McGovern and Merkley in signing this letter were U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), as well as U.S. Representatives James R. Walkinshaw (VA-11) and Tom Suozzi (NY-03).
Full text of the letter to President Trump on political prisoners can be found by clicking here.
In a separate letter to Trump Administration officials on transnational repression, the lawmakers wrote, “President Xi’s visit comes at a time when China’s transnational repression has intensified. It is therefore essential that your agencies work together to prevent and respond to any effort by the Chinese government and its agents to use these tactics to interfere with the speech and advocacy of those living in the United States or to retaliate against relatives inside the People’s Republic of China.”
Joining Merkley and McGovern in signing this letter were U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and U.S. Representatives James R. Walkinshaw (VA-11) and Tom Suozzi (NY-03).
Full text of the letter to the Trump Administration on transnational repression can be found by clicking here.
Merkley and McGovern have led the charge to free those unjustly detained by the PRC and to strengthen U.S. policy to hold foreign governments and individuals accountable when they stalk, intimidate, or assault people in America and across borders. They lead the Transnational Repression Policy Act, bipartisan legislation that would tackle the growing threat of transnational repression, elevate countering transnational repression as a key U.S. foreign policy priority, and promote diplomacy that addresses it as part of a broader strategy to advance democratic principles and human rights at home and abroad.
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