Congressional-Executive Commission on China Annual
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CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA ANNUAL REPORT 2011 ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION OCTOBER 10, 2011 Printed for the use of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.cecc.gov VerDate Mar 15 2010 15:53 Oct 12, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6011 Sfmt 5011 U:\DOCS\68442.TXT DEIDRE 2011 ANNUAL REPORT VerDate Mar 15 2010 15:53 Oct 12, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6019 Sfmt 6019 U:\DOCS\68442.TXT DEIDRE CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA ANNUAL REPORT 2011 ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION OCTOBER 10, 2011 Printed for the use of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.cecc.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 68–442 PDF WASHINGTON : 2011 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Mar 15 2010 15:53 Oct 12, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 U:\DOCS\68442.TXT DEIDRE CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA LEGISLATIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS House Senate CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, SHERROD BROWN, Ohio, Cochairman Chairman MAX BAUCUS, Montana CARL LEVIN, Michigan DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California JEFF MERKLEY, Oregon SUSAN COLLINS, Maine JAMES RISCH, Idaho EXECUTIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS SETH D. HARRIS, Department of Labor MARIA OTERO, Department of State FRANCISCO J. SA´ NCHEZ, Department of Commerce KURT M. CAMPBELL, Department of State NISHA DESAI BISWAL, U.S. Agency for International Development PAUL B. PROTIC, Staff Director LAWRENCE T. LIU, Deputy Staff Director (II) VerDate Mar 15 2010 15:53 Oct 12, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 0486 Sfmt 0486 U:\DOCS\68442.TXT DEIDRE CO N T E N T S Page I. Executive Summary ............................................................................................. 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1 Overview ............................................................................................................ 3 Specific Findings and Recommendations ........................................................ 10 Political Prisoner Database ............................................................................. 52 II. Human Rights ..................................................................................................... 55 Freedom of Expression ..................................................................................... 55 Worker Rights ................................................................................................... 67 Criminal Justice ............................................................................................... 80 Freedom of Religion .......................................................................................... 94 Ethnic Minority Rights .................................................................................... 107 Population Planning ......................................................................................... 110 Freedom of Residence and Movement ............................................................ 117 Status of Women .............................................................................................. 121 Human Trafficking ........................................................................................... 126 North Korean Refugees in China .................................................................... 131 Public Health .................................................................................................... 135 The Environment .............................................................................................. 139 III. Development of the Rule of Law ...................................................................... 150 Civil Society ...................................................................................................... 150 Institutions of Democratic Governance .......................................................... 158 Commercial Rule of Law .................................................................................. 170 Access to Justice ............................................................................................... 182 Property ............................................................................................................. 191 IV. Xinjiang .............................................................................................................. 194 V. Tibet ..................................................................................................................... 207 VI. Developments in Hong Kong and Macau ........................................................ 221 VII. Endnotes ........................................................................................................... 226 Political Prisoner Database .......................................................................... 226 Freedom of Expression ................................................................................. 227 Worker Rights ............................................................................................... 234 Criminal Justice ............................................................................................ 240 Freedom of Religion ...................................................................................... 247 Ethnic Minority Rights ................................................................................. 259 Population Planning ..................................................................................... 261 Freedom of Residence and Movement ......................................................... 267 Status of Women ........................................................................................... 269 Human Trafficking ....................................................................................... 273 North Korean Refugees in China ................................................................ 277 Public Health ................................................................................................. 279 The Environment .......................................................................................... 282 Civil Society ................................................................................................... 290 Institutions of Democratic Governance ....................................................... 293 Commercial Rule of Law .............................................................................. 303 Access to Justice ........................................................................................... 312 Property ......................................................................................................... 316 Xinjiang .......................................................................................................... 318 Tibet ............................................................................................................... 328 Developments in Hong Kong and Macau .................................................... 343 (III) VerDate Mar 15 2010 15:53 Oct 12, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 U:\DOCS\68442.TXT DEIDRE VerDate Mar 15 2010 15:53 Oct 12, 2011 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 U:\DOCS\68442.TXT DEIDRE I. Executive Summary INTRODUCTION The China of today is vastly different from that of 30 years ago, when major economic reforms began, and even 10 years ago, when China acceded to the World Trade Organization. More people in to- day’s China enjoy an improved quality of life, economic freedoms, and greater access to information via the Internet and other com- munication technologies. But economic and technological progress has not led to commensurate gains in China’s human rights and rule of law record. In the areas of human rights and rule of law this year, China’s leaders have grown more assertive in their violation of rights, dis- regarding the very laws and international standards that they claim to uphold and tightening their grip on Chinese society. Chi- na’s leaders have done this while confidently touting their own human rights and rule of law record. This year, officials declared that China had reached a ‘‘major milestone’’ in its legal system and made ‘‘remarkable achievements’’ in carrying out its 2009–2010 National Human Rights Action Plan, asserting that ‘‘civil and polit- ical rights have been effectively protected.’’ China’s leaders no longer respond to criticism by simply denying that rights have been abused. Rather, they increasingly use the language of international law to defend their actions. According to China’s leaders, today’s China is strong and moving forward on human rights and rule of law. Official rhetoric notwithstanding, China’s human rights and rule of law record has not improved. Indeed, as this year’s Annual Re- port indicates, it appears to be worsening in some areas. A trou- bling trend is officials’ increased willingness to disregard the law when it suits them, particularly to silence dissent. Beginning in February 2011, Chinese police took the unusual step of ‘‘dis- appearing’’ numerous lawyers and activists in one of the harshest crackdowns in recent memory. It was no surprise, then, that in