U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a statement regarding the historic mass protests against General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP):

• “The CCP’s ‘zero-Covid’ policy is outrageous. In addition, the CCP restricts all human rights and freedoms in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and across China. It has robbed the Chinese people of their human dignity.

• “The Biden Administration's weak rejection of the CCP’s zero-Covid policy and refusal to call out General Secretary Xi’s totalitarian grip is nothing short of cowardly. Just weeks after shaking hands with Xi in Bali, President Biden and his administration have once again demonstrated that they are unwilling to stand up to the CCP and stand in solidarity with the Chinese people.

• “Nike, Apple, and the rest of our nation’s hypocritical corporate elites are following the Biden Administration’s shameful approach. Why are they silent? Is it because they made billions doing business with the CCP? Their silence makes them complicit with the CCP’s egregious human rights violations.

• “These protests are not about a public health crisis, but a human rights crisis. The United States must be unwavering in our support for the Chinese people as they bravely call for freedom.”

            Rubio and Smith are ranking Republican members of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC).

###