Lawmaker to Reintroduce China Human Rights Bills
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said Jan. 9 that he plans to reintroduce several China-related bills in the coming weeks in the new 119th Congress, including one that would sanction those who fund, sponsor or otherwise facilitate forced organ harvesting or the trafficking of people to remove their organs.
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The Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act passed the House by a 413-2 vote in March 2023 but stalled in the Senate. Smith told Export Compliance Daily that he believes concerns about provoking China sunk the bill in the previous Congress. He said he hopes the legislation will have a better chance of becoming law this year with his party taking control of the Senate and White House.
Smith said he also intends to reintroduce the China Trade Relations Act, which would re-link China’s permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) status with its human rights record. Smith believes the U.S. decision to de-link the two issues in 1994 was a mistake because it allowed China to grow economically without improving its human rights practices. The bill did not advance in the last Congress.