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FEDERALhearing transcript

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Congressional Hearing: China's Global Influence and Authoritarianism

Original title: THE LONG ARM OF CHINA: EXPORTING AUTHORITARIANISM WITH CHINESE CHARACTERISTICS

January 1, 2018

China Foreign Policy Human Rights International Relations Authoritarianism Influence Operations

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The Frame

What this does

The hearing informs U.S. policy regarding how the Chinese government conducts in free societies, which impacts how the U.S. manages diplomatic relations and protects the rights of activists and critics.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

U.S. Policymakers

They are tasked with responding to the challenges posed by foreign influence operations.

Human Rights Activists

They are subject to potential intimidation and harassment by foreign governments.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2018.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This hearing of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China examined how the Chinese government attempts to influence political discourse and censor criticism in other countries. Experts discussed methods used to intimidate critics and control narratives regarding China's human rights record and history.

Key Facts

The hearing was held on December 13, 2017, by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
The hearing focused on Chinese government efforts to influence political discourse, censor criticism, and intimidate critics in foreign countries.
The Commission previously held a hearing on this topic in May 2016 focusing on individual stories of harassment.
Chinese authorities reportedly detained over 30 relatives of U.S.-based Uyghur activist Rebiya Kadeer.
The hearing included testimony from experts representing the National Endowment for Democracy, Stanford University's Hoover Institution, and Human Rights Watch.
The Commission recognized staff member Deidre Jackson for 38 years of government service.

Why It Matters

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of this hearing?

To examine how the Chinese government uses to censor critical discussion of its history and human rights record in other countries.

Who testified at the hearing?

Shanthi Kalathil (National Endowment for Democracy), Dr. Glenn Tiffert (Stanford University), and Dr. Sophie Richardson (Human Rights Watch).

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Escalation of Influence Tactics

The Commission noted a shift from individual harassment cases in 2016 to broader, systemic influence operations by 2017.

Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Connected Entities

personChristopher Smith“U.S. Representative from New Jersey and Cochairman of the Commission”Map →

personRebiya Kadeer“U.S.-based Uyghur human rights activist”Map →

personMarco Rubio“U.S. Senator from Florida and Chairman of the Commission”Map →

personShanthi Kalathil“Director of the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endow”Map →

personSophie Richardson“Director of China Research at Human Rights Watch”Map →

personDeidre Jackson“Commission staff member retiring after 38 years of service”Map →

personGlenn Tiffert“Expert in modern Chinese legal history and fellow at Stanford University's Hoove”Map →

organizationCongressional-Executive Commission on China“The body conducting the hearing”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance75
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy60
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz20
Current news / social attention level

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