First Regular Session

Sixty-second General Assembly

LLS NO. R99­0896.01 Jeff Conway

STATE OF COLORADO

BY SENATORS Lamborn, Andrews, Congrove, Hillman, Musgrave, and Tebedo

SENATE RESOLUTION 99-010

CONCERNING TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED DURING THE VISIT TO DENVER OF THE PREMIER OF CHINA.

WHEREAS, On April 10 and 11, 1999, the premier of China, Zhu Rongji, will visit the Denver area and will meet with Governor Bill Owens and Denver Mayor Wellington Webb; and

WHEREAS, There are three issues of concern to Coloradans regarding our nation's relations with China: The ongoing suppression of Chinese human rights by the government; the steady and dangerous transfer of military­sensitive technology to the Chinese military; and the disturbing role of Chinese nationalists in a large­scale attempt to influence an American presidential election; and

WHEREAS, During the 1992 presidential campaign, candidate Bill Clinton decried the Bush Administration=s policy of separating human rights violations from trade policy regarding China, yet President Clinton has pursued just such a policy; and

WHEREAS, Recently, the Chinese government has stepped up its effort to monitor and suppress "social groups", the first such coordinated effort since the Tiananmen massacre ten years ago; and

WHEREAS, The Chinese government continues to pursue its policy of arresting, harassing, and torturing members of the religious community who worship outside of official Chinese churches; and

WHEREAS, The Chinese government continues to pursue its policy of coercive family planning practices, including the practices of forced abortion and forced sterilization; and

WHEREAS, While it appears the policy of both the United States and China is to look the other way regarding Chinese human rights violations for the sake of trade, it also appears that China is not sincere about free and fair trade between the countries, because China exports four times more goods to the United States than it imports and the trade deficit is estimated to exceed $60 billion this year; and

WHEREAS, An alarming series of defense technology transfers to China has taken place in recent years, most notably the theft of nuclear secrets from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, which has created serious and lasting threats to our national security; and

WHEREAS, Recently, the House Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China unanimously approved its report that found that China has engaged in a plan, through both espionage and the exploitation of trade and export policies, to steal militarily sensitive high­technology equipment and know­how that directly threatens our nation's security; and

WHEREAS, Such newly­developed missile technology possessed by the Chinese and shared with the North Koreans threatens to destabilize the region, escalate tensions, and undermine our Asian allies and American interests; and

WHEREAS, Congressional investigations into the conduct of the 1996 presidential campaign exposed a system rife with abuse and vulnerable to foreign influence and traced the illegal funneling of campaign money through persons associated with foreign governments, primarily the People's Republic of China; and

WHEREAS, Such investigations were hampered because many of the most knowledgeable witnesses to this illegal campaign funding fled the country or asserted their Fifth Amendment right against self­incrimination; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty­second General Assembly of the State of Colorado:

(1)  That the Senate urges Governor Owens and Mayor Webb to raise the aforementioned issues with Premier Zhu Rongji during his visit to Denver.

(2)  That the Senate urges Governor Owens and Mayor Webb to underscore the importance of meaningful trade relationships that take into account how a trading partner respects the human rights of its own people.

(3)  That the Senate urges Governor Owens and Mayor Webb to underscore the importance of maintaining the integrity of our nation's advanced technology that we rely upon to buttress our systems of defense and to strengthen our national security.

(4)  That the Senate urges Governor Owens and Mayor Webb to underscore the importance of an increased national resolve to resist attempts by a foreign government to collect our military secrets or to influence our elections.

Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Resolution be sent to Governor Bill Owens, Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, all members of the Colorado congressional delegation, and the President of the United States.