Ahead of Joe Biden's meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Wednesday, the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China has released a list of American and other political prisoners for the U.S. president to present to his opposite number.
"Too often we hear that jailers taunt political prisoners by telling them that the world has forgotten them. We can never allow their words to be true. Those who stand up for inalienable rights and universally recognized freedoms in China and around the world should always be at the forefront of our diplomatic engagement," the letter to Biden read.
The face-to-face will take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco. The leaders of the world's two largest economies have not met since the G20 summit in Bali last November due to deteriorating ties following the U.S.'s downing of a Chinese spy balloon, among a raft of other issues.
American citizens are among those the U.S. State Department considers wrongfully detained by Beijing: Kai Li, a Long Islander sentenced to 10 years for espionage; Mark Sweden, a Texas man sentenced to death in 2020 after more than five years on trial for alleged production and trafficking of narcotics; and David Lin, an Orange County pastor who has been detained in China since 2006.
The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment.
The commission's list of high-profile detainees also features Chinese nationals believed to have been persecuted for their ethnicity or beliefs: retired doctor Gulshan Abbas, a Uyghur woman detained for her sister's activism; and Peng Lifa, also known as "Bridge Man," who was arrested after unfurling banners condemning Xi and his strict COVID-19 policies.
Family members of the imprisoned Americans had hoped Secretary of State Antony Blinken would be able to advocate for their release during his planned trip to Beijing in February, but the fallout over the surveillance balloon postponed his visit until the summer.
In another letter, published on Friday, House Republicans on the China select committee presented their own list of demands for Xi.
They included the release of Americans wrongfully imprisoned in the country or subject to an exit ban; the release of Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai and 47 other prominent democracy activists; and the release of Abbas and other imprisoned relatives of Uyghur Americans.
Among the 10 demands were a call to end fentanyl shipments, as well as Chinese military activities near Taiwan and forced labor in the Chinese region of Xinjiang.
The Biden administration had gone two years without sanctioning a Chinese official involved in the "erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy" and human rights violations in Xinjiang, the letter said.
The lawmakers said the White House had not done enough to boost U.S. tech competitiveness relative to China, pressure Beijing to keep fentanyl precursors out of North America, or reduce tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
Biden is expected to tell to Xi that China's responses to these issues are fundamental to improving its relationship with the United States.
While in San Francisco, Xi is slated to attend a gala hosted by the U.S.-China Business Council and National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), who chairs the China select committee, this week blasted the event's attendees—members of America's corporate elite—who are forking out $2,000 per head to dine with the Chinese president, according to an invitation to participatnts.
"American business leaders are paying thousands of dollars to eat dinner with a genocidal communist dictator while other Western executives in China aren't even free to leave the country if they tried," Gallagher told Newsweek.
"The business community needs to remove its golden blindfolds and understand that doing business with the CCP risks the safety of their employees, shareholders, investors, and the savings of millions of Americans," he said.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Micah McCartney is a reporter for Newsweek based in Taipei, Taiwan. He covers U.S.-China relations, East Asian and Southeast Asian ... Read more
