Dear Mr. XXX,

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for H. Con. Res. 188. It is good to hear from you and I am glad we are in agreement.

I appreciate knowing your thoughts on this issue and I am pleased to be a cosponsor of this resolution. As you may know, H. Con. Res. 188 expresses the sense of Congress that China should immediately end its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

China has a long way to go before it proves to the U.S. and the rest of the world that it should be treated similarly to the ways in which we treat our allies. It is still very much a communist country, with serious human rights violations. The government continues to restrict freedom of religion and has intensified controls on some unregistered churches. In addition, there is considerable violence against Chinese women, as the government continues to induce coercive family planning--which sometimes includes forced abortion and sterilization, prostitution, discrimination against women, trafficking in women and children, abuse of children and discrimination against the disabled and minorities.

I will continue to speak out against human rights violations in China as well as around the world. I recently cast my vote against extending Normal Trade Relations with China, because of their religious persecution. I have also voted against granting China Permanent Normal Trade relations.

Thank you for contacting me.

Sincerely,

Dave Weldon

Member of Congress

Posting date: 8/20/2001
Original article date: 8/6/2001
Category: Worldwide Support

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