Washington, DC - Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement in advance of the summit between US President Donald Trump and People’s Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping on Thursday.  

“Trump’s disastrous trade and Iran wars will likely dominate tomorrow’s summit, and getting those issues right matters for American workers and our national security. But managing competition with Beijing cannot come at the expense of our allies or at the cost of silence on human rights. Past Republican and Democratic administrations have found a way to raise both at the same table, and President Trump must do the same tomorrow.  

“The president must not waver from long-standing U.S. policy on Taiwan, which has preserved peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait for decades. And he must also stand up for America’s Indo-Pacific allies, who are bearing the brunt of PRC economic coercion. Beijing’s military aggression in the Taiwan Strait as well as in the East and South China Seas is unacceptable. The president must make that clear.  

"The president must also speak up for the brave pro-democracy protestors of Hong Kong, for Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang who have endured unspeakable atrocities at the hands of the PRC, and for the Tibetan people who are being repressed for their distinct identity, culture, and language.  

“The administration needs to speak up for those that have been targets of Beijing’s transnational repression and the over 2,700 political prisoners, including 120 journalists, currently held in China. In addition to calling for the release of wrongfully detained U.S. citizens Min Zin and Youlin Chen, I hope the President will press Xi for the immediate release of Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy publisher whose health has severely deteriorated in the past few weeks; journalist Dong Yuyu, so he can seek treatment for his cancer; and Zhang Zhan, who reported on Covid-19 in China and is on a partial hunger strike.”