S.Res. 361 — Introduced in Senate

III 113th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 361 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 24, 2014 Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Menendez, and Mr. Corker) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Recognizing the threats to freedom of the press and expression in the People’s Republic of China and urging the Government of the People's Republic of China to take meaningful steps to improve freedom of expression as fitting of a responsible international stakeholder. Whereas, in its 2013 World Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders ranked China 173rd out of 179 countries in terms of press freedoms; Whereas China’s media regulator, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, enforces a system of strict controls, including an extensive licensing system and government supervision by the Chinese Communist Party; Whereas domestic radio and television broadcast journalists in China must pass a government-sponsored exam that tests their basic knowledge of Marxist views of news and Communist Party principles; Whereas this state supervision of the media distorts and blocks free and open coverage of key issues including Tibet, political unrest, and corruption by government officials, as well as Chinese foreign policy; Whereas China’s media regulator officially bans journalists from using foreign media reports without authorization and forbids news editors from reporting information online that has not been verified through official channels; Whereas the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) has documented several instances of reprisals against and harassment of independent journalists and newspaper staff by the Government of the People's Republic of China, including Chinese journalists working for foreign-based websites and newspapers; Whereas the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China has noted that foreign journalists continue to face challenging work conditions, visa denials or delays, and various forms of harassment, and 70 percent of journalists surveyed in the FCCC’s 2013 annual survey stated that conditions have worsened or stayed the same as the year before; Whereas, according to the CECC, authorities in China appeared to maintain or enhance policies to block and filter online content, particularly sensitive information about rights activists, official corruption, or collective organizing; Whereas China is the world’s second largest economy and the United States second largest trading partner and has been a member of the World Trade Organization since 2001; Whereas China’s growing economic importance increases the need for the Government of the People's Republic of China to act transparently and respect international trading regulations; and Whereas official government censorship denies the people of China, including nearly 600,000,000 Internet users, their freedom of expression, undermines confidence in China’s safety standards, and causes increasingly serious economic harm to private firms that rely on unfettered access to social media as a business model: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate— (1) reaffirms the importance of freedom of the press to efforts by the United States Government to support democracy, mitigate conflict, and promote good governance domestically and around the world; (2) expresses concern about the threats to freedom of the press and expression in the People’s Republic of China; (3) condemns actions taken by the Government of the People’s Republic of China to suppress freedom of the press, including the increased harassment of Chinese and international journalists through denial of visas, harassment of sources, physical threats, and other methods; and (4) urges the President to use all appropriate instruments of United States influence to support, promote, and strengthen principles, practices, and values that promote the free flow of information to the people of China without interference or discrimination, including through the Internet and other electronic media.