2016 Annual Report on Human Rights and Rule of Law in China

• •The report marks the 15th anniversary of China's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).
• •The Commission concludes that the Chinese government has largely failed to implement substantive legal reforms anticipated 15 years ago.
• •The Chinese government expelled a foreign journalist in 2016 for criticizing ethnic policies in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
• •In March 2016, 12 countries, led by the U.S., issued a collective statement at the UN Human Rights Council regarding human rights abuses in China.
• •The report documents the systematic denial of medical treatment to imprisoned activists.
• •The Chinese government is reported to be targeting family members and associates of rights advocates, including those living overseas.
• •The report highlights the continued use of the world's most sophisticated system of Internet control and press censorship.
• •The Commission maintains a Political Prisoner Database to track cases of detained rights advocates and lawyers.

This report serves as an official U.S. government assessment of human rights conditions in China, which informs federal policy, diplomatic strategy, and legislative oversight regarding U.S.-China relations.

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