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China: Commission trip to China
postponed
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Commission on International
Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent and
bipartisan federal agency, is disappointed that a
scheduled visit to China in early August 2003 could
not proceed as planned due to unacceptable last-minute
conditions imposed upon the Commission's visit by the
Chinese government.
Since its inception, the Commission has made several
formal requests for an official invitation to visit
China. In December 2002, at the U.S.-China bilateral
human rights dialogue in Beijing, the Commission was
informed that Chinese officials conveyed to Assistant
Secretary of State Lorne Craner the Chinese
government's decision to invite the USCIRF to visit
China. The Commission believes that a successful visit
is in the mutual interests of the United States and
China, and should have gone forward with the full
access to relevant areas and people as was promised to
Assistant Secretary Craner.
Since February 2003, when the Commission began
negotiations with the Chinese government regarding the
parameters of a visit, the Commission made it clear
that Hong Kong was an integral part of the visit. The
Chinese government has always assured the United
States that Hong Kong is an open city not requiring
special access. The USCIRF was also given assurances
by Chinese Embassy staff that Hong Kong would not be a
problematic part of our itinerary. The Commission
proceeded with that assumption until two weeks ago
when it was informed that the Chinese government
"strongly discouraged" our visit to Hong Kong. The
Chinese government's position then moved from
discouragement to "insistence" that the Commission
drop Hong Kong from its itinerary.
"This action on the part of the Chinese government
suggests a degree of Chinese control over foreign
access to Hong Kong that is unprecedented and in
contradiction to the concept of 'one country, two
systems.' It further raises the concern that just six
years after the handover, Hong Kong's autonomy is
already seriously in doubt. As a commission concerned
religious and related rights, we cannot possibly
accede to such a condition," said USCIRF Chair Michael
K. Young.
In addition, the Commission is deeply concerned that
just one week before the Commission delegation's
scheduled arrival in China, the Chinese government did
not provide the Commission with an itinerary of
confirmed meetings with government and Communist Party
officials responsible for religious policy and its
implementation in each of the places the Commission
requested. Nor did the Commission receive assurances
it would be able to visit prominent religious houses
of worship and meet privately with religious leaders.
Instead, the Commission was simply told that there
would be meetings appropriate to the important nature
of its visit.
In light of the circumstances and last-minute
limitations that the Chinese government imposed, the
Commission could not accede to the conditions and the
trip was postponed.
"The Commission fully anticipates and hopes that the
Chinese government will honor its commitment to
Assistant Secretary Craner and allow the trip to
proceed as originally promised," said Young.
Dean Michael K. Young, Chair Felice D. Gaer, Vice
Chair Nina Shea, Vice
Chair Preeta Bansal Richard Land
Bishop William F. Murphy Bishop Ricardo Ramirez Leila
Nadya Sadat
Ambassador John V. Hanford III, Ex-Officio
Joseph R. Crapa, Executive Director
800 NORTH CAPITOL STREET, NW SUITE 790 WASHINGTON, DC
20002 202-523-3240
202-523-5020 (FAX)
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