Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) Heraring: Hearing Announcement: A Son and Daughter’s Appeal to Xi Jinping to Release Their Dad, Jimmy Lai

 

 

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China was created by the U.S. Congress in 2000 "with the legislative mandate to monitor human rights and the development of the rule of law in China, and to submit an annual report to the President and the Congress. The Commission consists of nine Senators, nine Members of the House of Representatives, and five senior Administration officials appointed by the President." (CECC About). The CECC FAQs provide useful information about the CECC. See CECC Frequently Asked Questions. They have developed positions on a number of issues.

CECC tends to serve as an excellent barometer of the thinking of political and academic elites in the United States about issues touching on China and the official American line developed in connection with those issues. As such it is an important source of information about the way official and academic sectors think about China. As one can imagine many of the positions of the CECC are critical of current Chinese policies and institutions (for some analysis see CECC).

CECC periodically  holds hearings on issues of relevance to American foreign policy, built around its core issues--in this case Hong Kong and Macao. Jimmy Lai has become of significant relevance to the foreign policy of the US, at least among portions of the ruling vanguard, in this respect. To those ends, CECC has announced a new hearing:  A Son and Daughter’s Appeal to Xi Jinping to Release Their Dad, Jimmy Lai. 

The CECC media release explained: 

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China will hold a hearing examining the imprisonment of Hong Kong media entrepreneur and democracy advocate Jimmy Lai and what his case reveals about the continued erosion of freedom of the press, judicial independence, and the rule of law in Hong Kong.

Lai’s imprisonment is emblematic of the profound changes that have taken place in Hong Kong since the People’s Republic of China imposed the National Security Law in June 2020. The Commission has documented the use of national security laws to imprison democracy advocates, journalists, former legislators, and civil society leaders; the weakening of procedural protections and judicial independence; and the chilling effect of Hong Kong’s national security regime on speech and political activity both inside Hong Kong and abroad.

Given the planned summit between President Trump and General Secretary Xi Jinping, the hearing will underscore the appeal from Jimmy Lai’s children to Xi Jinping for their father’s immediate release and examine the broader implications of Lai’s continued imprisonment. The hearing will also consider what additional steps Congress, the Administration, and international partners can take to secure Lai’s release and hold accountable officials responsible for undermining internationally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The hearing will be livestreamed on the CECC’s YouTube channel.

Witnesses

Sebastien Lai, son of Jimmy Lai; leader, #FreeJimmyLai campaign
Mark L. Clifford, president, Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, and author of The Troublemaker, a biography of Jimmy Lai

Additional witnesses may be added.