H.Res. 1370: Resolution calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to immediately end abuses of the human rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and Uighur people, and to end its support for the Governments of Sudan and Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness.

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H.Res. 1370: Resolution calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to immediately end abuses of the human rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and Uighur people, and to end its support for the Governments of Sudan and Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness.

110th Congress · introduced 2008-07-23 · International Affairs · Latest: The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.

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Official title

Resolution calling on the Government of the People's Republic of China to immediately end abuses of the human rights of its citizens, to cease repression of Tibetan and Uighur people, and to end its support for the Governments of Sudan and Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness.

Plain summary

Calls on the government of the People's Republic of China to: (1) end abuses of the human rights of its citizens, cease repression of Tibetan and Uighur people, and end its support for the governments of Sudan and Burma to ensure that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness; (2) release all those who have been imprisoned, detained, or harassed for nonviolently exercising their political and religious rights and their right to free expression for seeking to hold China accountable to commitments to improve human rights conditions; (3) honor its commitment to freedom of the press for foreign reporters in China before and during the Olympic Games, make those commitments permanent, and publicly guarantee an immediate end to the detention, harassment, and intimidation of foreign and domestic reporters; (4) permit visitors to China for the period surrounding the Olympics, regardless of religious background, belief, or political opinion; (5) guarantee freedom of movement within China, including Tibet, Xinjiang, and China's border regions, during such period for all visitors, participants, and journalists; (6) guarantee access to information by Chinese citizens and foreign visitors, including domestic and overseas broadcasts, print media, and websites that in the past may have been blocked; (7) permit political dissidents, protesters, petitioners, religious activists, minorities, the disabled, the homeless, and others to maintain their homes, usual locations, jobs, freedom of movement, and freedom to engage in peaceful activities during the period; (8) end the exploitative and dangerous conditions faced by Chinese workers in many state enterprises and other commercial entities; (9) begin earnest negotiations with the Dalai Lama on the future of Tibet to provide for a mutually agreeable solution that addresses the grievances of, and provides autonomy for, the Tibetan people; (10) end its support for the government of Sudan until the violent attacks in Darfur have ceased and the Sudanese government has allowed for the full deployment of the United Nations-African Union Mission peacekeeping force in Darfur; (11) end its support for the government of Burma until democracy is restored, human rights abuses have ceased, and political prisoners of conscience are released; (12) abandon its coercive population control policy; and (13) review the political prisoner list published by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China with a view to releasing ill and aged prisoners on humanitarian grounds and to releasing those imprisoned in violation of Chinese law or international human rights law. Calls on the President to make a strong public statement on China's human rights situation prior to his departure to Beijing for the Olympic Games, to make a similar statement in Beijing, to meet with the families of jailed prisoners of conscience, and to seek to visit Tibet and Xinjiang.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Berman, Howard L. [D-CA-28] · 19 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Steve Cohen (D-TN), James P. McGovern (D-MA), Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Maxine Waters (D-CA)

Recorded votes

• House roll call 539 (2008): On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, as Amended, HRES1370 (2008-07-30): Passed

Sources

• Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)
• Congress.gov
• Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-110hres1370.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/110/hres>

Record fed-us-cong110-hres1370 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong110 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong110