By Joseph Lord Published May 14, 2026 The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate on Wednesday passed resolutions urging President Donald Trump to confront Chinese leader Xi Jinping on political prisoners currently held in state custody by China. The House measure passed in a 414–0 vote. H.Res. 1259, introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), cochair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, names five individuals who he said were “unfairly punished” by Beijing for exercising freedo... Read more

By Li Yihua Published May 14, 2026 at 7:27 Capitol Hill — On Wednesday (May 13), both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate successively passed resolutions by unanimous consent, calling upon the U.S. President—in his future engagements with Chinese leaders—to prioritize efforts to secure the release of numerous political prisoners and religious figures, including Jimmy Lai and Pastor Jin Mingri. President Donald Trump arrived in Beijing on the same day and is scheduled to meet with Ch... Read more

By Eva Fu Published May 14, 2026 WASHINGTON—As U.S. and China delegations convene in Beijing, a bipartisan panel of lawmakers is casting a spotlight on the regime’s forced organ harvesting, saying it’s past time to put the abuse to an end. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, opened a May 14 congressional hearing by recalling a hot mic incident on Tiananmen Square last September. A conversation was captured between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and ... Read more

By Central Jersey Newswire Published May 14, 2026 Washington, D.C - Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) Congressman Chris Smith chaired a hearing on Thursday examining allegations of forced organ harvesting and illegal organ trafficking tied to the Chinese Communist Party. The hearing, titled “A Market Built on Victims: Stopping Illegal Organ Trafficking in China and Beyond,” focused on testimony from former detainees, human rights advocates, and experts who descri... Read more

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), sat down with host Raymond Arroyo on EWTN's The World Over with Raymond Arroyo to discuss the findings of his recent CECC hearing on forced organ harvesting and trafficking in China; the need to interlink human rights with trade; and his reflections on the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing. The full interview can be viewed by clicking here. ### Read more

By The Staff Published May 13, 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. — As President Donald Trump prepares for a high-stakes summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, bipartisan pressure is mounting for the administration to prioritize human rights and the release of political prisoners held by the Chinese Communist regime. Leading that effort is New Jersey’s Congressman Chris Smith (R, NJ-04), co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China. Smith revealed this week that more than 100 lawmak... Read more

U.S. Representative Chris Smith speaks to the press. — March 24, 2026, Washington. Photo by Shotaro Hata. By Sotaro Hata Published May 13, 2026 at 9:51 AM On May 11, U.S. President Trump indicated his intention to raise the case of Jimmy Lai (78)—the founder of the now-defunct Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, who is currently imprisoned following his conviction for violating the Hong Kong National Security Law—during an upcoming summit meeting. Representative Chris Smith (Republican), a U.S. Ho... Read more

By Catie Edmondson Published May 13, 2026 Human rights activists, lawmakers and family members are calling on President Trump to press China’s leader, Xi Jinping, for the release of Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy media mogul, and Dong Yuyu, a prominent Chinese journalist, at the summit in Beijing. Supporters have framed the meeting as a critical opportunity for Mr. Trump to use his leverage to win the freedom of prominent members of the press and religious leaders who have been jailed, amid a broa... Read more

By Sudiksha Kochi Published May 13, 2026 at 6:58 PM ET The House on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution urging President Trump to push to secure the release of five people detained in China. The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), passed the lower chamber by a vote of 414-0. It states that Trump “should prioritize securing the release of Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and Jimmy Lai detained by the People’s Republic of China dur... Read more

By Joey Fox Published May 13, 2026 at 7:14 PM The House unanimously passed a resolution led by Rep. Chris Smith (R-Manchester) tonight urging President Donald Trump to prioritize the release of Chinese political prisoners, among them Hong Kong activist and media mogul Jimmy Lai, in future engagements with the Chinese government. Smith has made Lai, who was sentenced to 20 years in jail under Hong Kong’s 2020 national security law, a priority in Congress, even bringing Lai’s daughter to this year... Read more