December 17, 2024
Re: The Importance of the Select Committee on Strategic Competition with the CCP in Addressing Human Rights and National Security
Dear Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries:
We, the 63 undersigned human rights organizations and affected communities dedicated to addressing the repressive policies perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), write to emphasize the critical importance of the Select Committee on Strategic Competition with the CCP and to advocate for its reestablishment as the 119th Congress prepares to convene. The Select Committee’s unique structure, focused mission, and demonstrated successes make it indispensable for defending human rights, national security, and democratic values.
The Select Committee’s bipartisan efforts have brought critical attention to the CCP’s widespread human rights abuses, including genocide; forced labor; severe restrictions on freedom of religion, belief, speech, and movement; violations of bodily autonomy and privacy; and transnational repression of diasporic communities in the United States. The Committee’s pinpoint focus on holding the Chinese government accountable has set a global standard for addressing these atrocities and remains vital to bridging policy gaps, fostering collaboration across party lines, and defending human rights while reinforcing national security and democratic principles.
The Select Committee’s mandate is unique in its exclusive focus on combating the CCP’s maleficence combined with its valuable, comprehensive approach. This allows it to access a full
range of policy levers needed to counter the CCP’s human rights abuses. Issues such as PRC interference in free speech, the spread of disinformation, CCP repression on U.S. soil, use of forced labor in energy and pharmaceutical supply chains, and protecting American genetic and mobile data from the same exploitation CCP-targeted groups face, requires cross-jurisdictional collaboration that a dedicated body like the Select Committee can provide. Hearings and public awareness about the CCP’s oppression towards Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, Falun Gong practitioners as well as the CCP’s cultural and religious persecution, transnational repression, the spread of disinformation, and threats to Taiwan’s sovereignty, underscore its ability to prioritize and elevate critical issues that might otherwise fall through jurisdictional cracks and limited bandwidth.
Its in-depth, actionable, and consistent reports have enabled action at critical junctures, and through investigations, hearings, and public advocacy, it has demanded accountability from CEOs and Venture Capitalists linked to fueling the PRC’s forced labor system, military, and Orwellian surveillance states in Tibet and the Uyghur region. These actions have led to tangible shifts in corporate behavior, with companies reevaluating their relationships with the Chinese government. The Committee’s expertise, evidence-based positions, and sharp focus allow it to prioritize and shape future policy to protect human rights and national security.
We understand concerns about the potential for fear and domestic polarization that can arise from efforts to uncover the Chinese Government’s malign activities and global threats. Reestablishing the Select Committee in no way diminishes the inarguable need to combat racial discrimination and foster inclusivity. Members of the Select Committee, both Republicans and Democrats, have repeatedly emphasized that addressing the CCP’s violations must not serve as a pretext for discrimination against Chinese or Asian communities in the United States. To further this commitment, we recommend convening additional hearings with affected communities, civil rights organizations, and a broad range of stakeholders to ensure that policy discussions and public awareness efforts remain nuanced, inclusive, and free from prejudice.
In sum, reestablishing the Select Committee will provide an essential bipartisan venue for ensuring the United States remains vigilant in decisively addressing the evolving challenges created by the CCP’s anti-democratic, anti-human-rights actions. We urge you to support the Select Committee’s continuation in the 119th Congress in order to provide a platform for future action on the threats facing Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, East Turkistan, Southern Mongolia, and beyond. Failure to reestablish the Select Committee would risk losing a critical mechanism for confronting the CCP’s threats to human rights, national security and democracy—challenges that require resolute and united action.
Sincerely yours,
Initiated and Led By:
Campaign for Uyghurs
Supporting Organizations and Co-Signatories:
Chinese Citizens Movement Alliance (中国公民运动联盟)
Hui Human Rights Watch, HHRW (回族人权观察)
Los Angeles Chinese Democracy Platform, LACD ( 洛杉矶中国民主平台)
Athenai Institute
Center for Uyghur Studies
China Against the Death Penalty
China Aid Association
China Change
China Democratic Party
China Rights in Action
Chinese Political Science Association
Christian Coalition for Uyghurs
Citizen Power Initiatives for China
Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP
Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation
Dialogue China
Falun Dafa Association of Washington DC
Farra & Wang PLLC
Formosan Association of Public Affairs
Free the Slaves
Freedom House
Friends of Falun Gong
Hello Taiwan
Hong Kong Democracy Council
Hong Kong Watch
Hope Umbrella International Foundation
Human Rights Foundation
Human Rights in China
Human Rights Law Foundation
Humanitarian China
Information For Chinese Immigrants
Institute for China’s Democratic Transition
International Campaign for Tibet
International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC)
International Uyghur & Han Association
Jewish Movement for Uyghur Freedom
Law and Liberty Trust
North America Taiwanese Professors’ Association
North American Taiwanese Medical Association
Norwegian Uyghur Committee
Sentinel Defenders Network
Shanghailander American Association
Shining Light Media LLC · 光传媒
Silk Road Peace Project
Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center
Students for a Free Tibet
Students for Falun Gong
Taiwan East Turkestan Association
Taiwanese American Association of New York
The Adas Israel Congregation Uyghur Crisis Response Team
Uyghur Academy International
Uyghur American Association
Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP)
Uyghur Projects Foundation
Uyghur Rally
Uyghur Times
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
Visual Artists Guild
Washingtonians Supporting Hong Kong (DC4HK)
World Liberty Congress
World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong
World United Formosans for Independence (WUFI-USA)
World Uyghur Congress
Total Signatories: 64
