The Long Arm of China: Exporting Authoritarianism with Chinese Characteristics
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THE LONG ARM OF CHINA: EXPORTING AUTHORITARIANISM WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS HEARING BEFORE THE CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION DECEMBER 13, 2017 Printed for the use of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China ( Available at www.cecc.gov or www.govinfo.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 28–385 PDF WASHINGTON : 2018 VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:36 Sep 16, 2018 Jkt 081003 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 C:\USERS\DSHERMAN1\DESKTOP\28385 DAVID CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA LEGISLATIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS Senate House MARCO RUBIO, Florida, Chairman CHRIS SMITH, New Jersey, Cochairman TOM COTTON, Arkansas ROBERT PITTENGER, North Carolina STEVE DAINES, Montana RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio TODD YOUNG, Indiana TIM WALZ, Minnesota DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California TED LIEU, California JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon GARY PETERS, Michigan ANGUS KING, Maine EXECUTIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS Not yet appointed ELYSE B. ANDERSON, Staff Director PAUL B. PROTIC, Deputy Staff Director (ii) VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:36 Sep 16, 2018 Jkt 081003 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 C:\USERS\DSHERMAN1\DESKTOP\28385 DAVID C O N T E N T S STATEMENTS Page Opening Statement of Hon. Marco Rubio, a U.S. Senator from Florida; Chair- man, Congressional-Executive Commission on China ...................................... 1 Kalathil, Shanthi, Director of the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) ........................................... 4 Tiffert, Glenn, Ph.D., an expert in modern Chinese legal history and a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution ........................................... 6 Richardson, Sophie, Ph.D., Director of China Research at Human Rights Watch .................................................................................................................... 8 Smith, Hon. Christopher, a U.S. Representative from New Jersey; Cochair- man, Congressional-Executive Commission on China ...................................... 20 APPENDIX PREPARED STATEMENTS Kalathil, Shanthi ..................................................................................................... 34 Tiffert, Glenn ........................................................................................................... 38 Rubio, Hon. Marco ................................................................................................... 46 Smith, Hon. Christopher ......................................................................................... 47 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR THE RECORD Kalathil, Shanthi ..................................................................................................... 49 Richardson, Sophie .................................................................................................. 51 SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD Sharp Power: Rising Authoritarian Influence ....................................................... 56 Witness Biographies ................................................................................................ 77 (iii) VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:36 Sep 16, 2018 Jkt 081003 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\USERS\DSHERMAN1\DESKTOP\28385 DAVID VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:36 Sep 16, 2018 Jkt 081003 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 C:\USERS\DSHERMAN1\DESKTOP\28385 DAVID THE LONG ARM OF CHINA: EXPORTING AUTHORITARIANISM WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2017 CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA, Washington, DC. The hearing was convened, pursuant to notice, at 10:55 a.m., in Room 301, Russell Senate Office Building, Senator Marco Rubio, Chairman, presiding. Also present: Representative Christopher Smith, Senator Angus King, and Senator Steve Daines. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MARCO RUBIO, A U.S. SEN- ATOR FROM FLORIDA; CHAIRMAN, CONGRESSIONAL-EXECU- TIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA Chairman RUBIO. Good morning. This is a hearing of the Con- gressional-Executive Commission on China. The title of this hear- ing is ‘‘The Long Arm of China: Exporting Authoritarianism with Chinese Characteristics.’’ I apologize to the witnesses. It has been a pretty busy day this morning, and it is not even 11:00 yet. We are going to have one panel testifying today. The panel will feature Shanthi Kalathil, the Director of the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED); Dr. Glenn Tiffert, an expert in modern Chinese legal his- tory and a visiting fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institu- tion; and Dr. Sophie Richardson, Director of China Research at Human Rights Watch. I thank all of you for being here. Before we move to the topic at hand, I want to take a moment to recognize Ms. Deidre Jackson on the Commission’s staff. After 38 years of government work, including nearly 16 years at the Commission, this is her final hearing before retiring—hopefully to Florida. [Laughter.] Chairman RUBIO. It will be at the end of this year. [Applause.] Chairman RUBIO. We are very grateful to her for her faithful service and for her important contribution to this work. The focus of this hearing today is timely. This is an issue that merits greater attention from U.S. policymakers and that involves the efforts of the Chinese Communist Party, through its govern- (1) VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:36 Sep 16, 2018 Jkt 081003 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\USERS\DSHERMAN1\DESKTOP\28385 DAVID 2 ment, to conduct influence operations, which exist in free societies around the globe, and they are intended to censor critical discus- sion of China’s history and human rights record and to intimidate critics of its repressive policies. Attempts by the Chinese Communist Party and the government to guide, buy, or coerce political influence and control discussion of sensitive topics are pervasive, and they pose serious challenges to the United States and our like-minded allies. The Commission convened a hearing looking at China’s ‘‘long arm’’ in May of 2016, and the focus at that time was on individual stories from dissidents and rights defenders, journalists, family members of critics of the regime who shared alarming accounts of the intimidation, harassment, pressure and fear they felt as a re- sult of their work. This was especially true for those who had fam- ily still living in China. This issue persists. Just recently, Chinese authorities reportedly detained over 30 relatives of the U.S.-based Uyghur human rights activist Rebiya Kadeer, a frequent witness before this Commission. We will no doubt hear similar accounts when Dr. Richardson explores some of what Human Rights Watch documented in its recent report on Chi- na’s interference at United Nations human rights mechanisms. Beyond that, we hope today to take a step back from individual accounts regarding China’s ‘‘long arm,’’ and examine the broader issue of the Chinese Communist Party’s influence around the world. What animates their efforts? What is their ultimate aim? What sectors or institutions are most vulnerable to this? And what can we do about it? Given the scope of this issue, we will only begin to scratch the surface here today. When examining these foreign influence oper- ations, it is important we understand the Communist Party infra- structure that exists in support of this endeavor. The United Front Work Department is one of the Party agencies in charge of influence operations at home and abroad. The Chinese President elevated this entity’s status in 2014, calling their work the ‘‘magic weapon’’ for the ‘‘Chinese people’s great rejuvenation.’’ The UFWD is charged with promoting a positive view of China abroad and exporting the purported benefits of this authoritarian model. United Front officials and their agents, often operating under diplomatic cover as members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, de- velop relationships with politicians at the state, local and Federal level, and other high-profile or up-and-coming foreign and overseas Chinese individuals to—in the words of Wilson Center Global Fel- low Anne-Marie Brady—‘‘influence, subvert, and if necessary, by- pass the policies of their governments and promote the interests of the CCP globally.’’ A key element in this long-arm effort has focused on information technology and internet governance or sovereignty, asserting na- tional control of the internet and social media platforms not only in recent domestic cyber legislation and development plans, but also at international gatherings. So we look forward to Ms. Kalathil’s testimony, which will fur- ther explore this important dimension of the Chinese government’s efforts. VerDate Nov 24 2008 15:36 Sep 16, 2018 Jkt 081003 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 C:\USERS\DSHERMAN1\DESKTOP\28385 DAVID 3 China has developed tools to surveil social media and mobile phone texting platforms and to disrupt overseas websites that con- tain content the government finds politically sensitive. Earlier this year it was reported that real-time censorship of instant messaging platforms is now taking place. Private group chats are censored without users’ knowledge. As it relates to China’s long arm, the University of Toronto’s Cit- izen Lab, a human rights and information technology research cen- ter, reported in mid-January of this year on Chinese government censors’ work to prevent Tibetans inside and outside of China from discussing the Dalai Lama’s major religious teachings in India in January 2017. The Chinese government is also clearly targeting