Statement of Congressman Tim Ryan on Human Rights and the Internet in China

STATEMENT OF CONGRESSMAN TIM RYAN ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE INTERNET IN CHINA

02/01/06

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) Today, Congressman Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) chaired a Congressional Human Rights Caucus briefing on the topic of human rights and the Internet in China. Congressman Ryan, other members of the Human Rights Caucus, and a standing room only audience heard from a panel of witnesses that included academics, a commissioner of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, and several human rights organizations. Below is Congressman Ryan's opening statement:

"I'd like to thank everyone for attending today's briefing. I'd like to thank Mr. Lantos and Mr. Wolf, the Co-Chairs of the Human Rights Caucus, and their staff for their help in organizing this briefing. And I would especially like to thank our witnesses. They have agreed to volunteer their time and knowledge to this very important and timely issue. Lastly, I should note that we extended Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, and Cisco Systems an invitation to join us, but they declined to appear. Although they chose not to send representatives, I and my staff look forward to working with them and will review any information which they make available.

"Today, we are discussing censorship of the Internet in China and the role of American technology companies in that censorship. Recent news reports have shown that Chinese authorities are relying upon the resources, cooperation, and technology of American tech companies in carrying out the repression of free speech and free press, which is a cause of great concern. For example, Google just launched a Chinese search engine but only after agreeing to comply with China's strict guidelines for transmitting information deemed socially destabilizing. Last month, Microsoft shut down a Chinese blog for discussing a strike at a Beijing newspaper. And last year, a Chinese reporter was sentenced to 10 years in prison for an e-mail he sent to a pro-democracy organization. His email outlined certain media restrictions that the Chinese government had imposed on the Chinese press as the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre approached. Yahoo, which hosted the reporter's personal e-mail account, helped the Chinese government identify the reporter.

"After decades of being silenced and sheltered, Chinese citizens recognize the value of the Internet. China is the second-largest consumer of Internet technology after the United States, and is expected to exceed the U.S. in the next decade. In a country where all media is controlled by the government, the Internet has the potential to be a vital portal to the democratic world for Chinese citizens. What's more, online bulletin boards and blogs can serve as anonymous outlets for Chinese citizens to express their opinions and offer their dissent.

"Of course, the Chinese government is doing everything in its power to deny its citizens the democratizing power of the Internet. As the number of Internet users grow, the sophistication of the People's Republic of China's Internet-monitoring increases accordingly. There are an estimated 30,000 Chinese cyber-police monitoring the flow of information on the Internet. Additionally, the PRC employs sophisticated technological barriers, including software that deletes banned words from websites, blogs and message boards, and routers that block banned sites altogether. Among the censored words and phrases are "Dali Lama", "Tiananmen Square massacre", "Democracy", and even "Voice of America."

"It is inevitable that American companies whether they build cars or build software will continue their expansion into the Chinese market. This is a fact of life in the "Era of Globalization". But this reality need not require that democratic values be subservient to the search for profits. Indeed, globalization and international trade demand that we harness the power of markets to do good, to advance democracy and democratic freedoms.

"The multi-billion dollar Internet technology industry was developed at least partially using American taxpayer dollars, and American technology companies have benefited richly from our democratic values and our free-market system. American citizens and lawmakers have every right to demand that U.S. companies use this technology to advance freedom, rather than condone oppression.

"That's why I'm so troubled to watch as American companies, in my opinion, squander not only their leverage to create positive change but America's moral authority for whether we like it or not, American companies operating overseas reflect on all of us.

"I hope, however, that by focusing attention on this issue, we can find a solution that allows companies, as they expand into new markets, to take with them not only their technology, but also the values of the open and free society from which they came."

http://timryan.house.gov/HoR/OH17/Newsroom/Press+Releases/2005/humanrightsChina2106.htm