Floor Speeches and Congressional Record Statements
Rep. Smith's Remarks on Vietnam for Congressional Record'Why Religious Freedom and Human Rights Are Critical To U.S. National Interests'Mr. SMITH of New Jersey: Mr. Speaker, over the past forty-two years, much has changed in Vietnam. The Vietnamese people are a little richer, but still have few rights. The Vietnamese Communist Party has opened up a bit to the outside world, but remains closed to democratic reforms and the rule of law. U.S.-Vietnamese relations have warmed because Vietnam fears China’s increasing economic power and its incursions in the South China Sea, but we see few human rights improvements emerge from better relations. Over the past two years, Human Rights Watch has used the words ‘‘dismal’’ and ‘‘abysmal’’ to describe Vietnam’s human rights record. Vietnam scored a 7, the lowest score, on Freedom House’s ‘‘Freedom in the World’’ index. From sex and labor trafficking to the censorship of the press and Internet; from restrictions on independent labor unions to severe repression of faith communities, the Vietnamese Government and Communist Party is one of the world’s worst abusers of human rights. For too long Vietnam has gotten a free pass on human rights. Diplomats are so focused on the fact that Vietnam is ‘‘not China’’ that this oppressive police state is granted trade and security benefits without condition. There is a silent human rights crisis going on in Vietnam that must be addressed. Human rights should be a top talking point when President Trump meets next week with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Doing so will advance U.S. economic and security interests and it will be warmly welcomed by the Vietnamese people. The President has a real opportunity to bring about tangible reforms in Vietnam if he links better U.S.-Vietnam relations to tangible human rights improvements... . |