Source description last updated: 29 September 2020

In brief: The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) is a US governmental organisation mandated to monitor human rights and the rule of law in the People’s Republic of China.

Coverage on ecoi.net:

Annual reports, Commission Analyses, transcripts/records of US congressional hearings, English translations of Chinese legal provisions, Issue Papers, updates on human rights and rule of law, lists and maps of Tibetan self-immolations,

Covered monthly on ecoi.net for China.

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

“Congress created the Congressional Executive Commission on China (CECC) in 2000 to monitor China's compliance with international human rights standards, to encourage the development of the rule of law in the PRC, and to establish and maintain a list of victims of human rights abuses in China. The Commission comprises nine Senators, nine members of the House of Representatives and five senior Administration officials appointed by the President.

The Commission's professional staff is made up of U.S. experts on China specializing in religious freedom, labor affairs, Tibet and ethnic minorities, the Internet and free-flow of broadcast and print information, and law and legal reform […]. The Commission submits an annual report to the Congressional leadership and the President.“ (CECC website: Frequently Asked Questions, undated)

According to Section 302 of the China Relations Act of 2000 of the USA, the CECC’s objectives include:
“(a) Monitoring compliance with human rights - The Commission shall monitor the acts of the People's Republic of China which reflect compliance with or violation of human rights, in particular, those contained in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights […].

(b) Victims lists - The Commission shall compile and maintain lists of persons believed to be imprisoned, detained, or placed under house arrest, tortured, or otherwise persecuted by the Government of the People's Republic of China due to their pursuit of the rights described in subsection (a). […]

(c) Monitoring development of rule of law – The Commission shall monitor the development of the rule of law in the People’s Republic of China, including, but not limited to--

(1) progress toward the development of institutions of democratic governance;

(2) processes by which statutes, regulations, rules, and other legal acts of the Government of the People’s Republic of China are developed and become binding within the People’s Republic of China; […]

(4) the extent to which administrative and judicial decisions are supported by statements of reasons that are based upon written statutes, regulations, rules and other legal acts of the Government of the People’s Republic of China; […]

(6) the extent to which administrative and judicial decisions are independent of political pressure or governmental interference and are reviewed by entities of appellate jurisdiction; and

(7) the extent to which laws in the People’s Republic of China are written and administered in ways that are consistent with international human rights standards, including the requirements of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.” (United States: 106th Congress 2D Session: H.R. 4444 An act to authorize extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the People's Republic of China, and to establish a framework for relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China, 2000, section 302)

Funding:

US government funds

Scope of reporting:

Geographic focus: People’s Republic of China

Thematic focus: criminal justice, treatment of prisoners, civil society, access to justice, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of residence and movement, the environment, institutions of democratic governance, population planning, status of women, human trafficking, worker rights, ethnic minority rights, situation in Tibet and Xinjiang, developments in Hong Kong and Macau etc.

Methodology:

As regards processes of gathering information for the Annual Report, the CECC explains that it “holds formal hearings and informal issues roundtables that bring together academics, activists, government officials, business representatives, and other experts on issues related to the Commission's mandate. Staff members also make frequent trips to China to gather information, meet Chinese officials, scholars, and analysts, and consult about the human rights situation and the development of the rule of law in China with U.S. diplomats, and others.” (CECC website: Frequently Asked Questions, undated)

Publications of the CECC such as its Annual Report and Commission Analyses contain endnotes with references to English- and Mandarin-language sources, which are predominantly drawn from the public domain. These include Chinese legal provisions and reports from local and international media, NGOs and Chinese government authorities (see, for example, CECC: Annual Report 2019, 18 November 2019, CECC: Five Years after 709 Crackdown, Lawyers Continue to Face Repression and Punishment, 9 July 2020 and CECC: Hong Kong National Security Law: Highlighting Provisions Inconsistent with the Basic Law and International Human Rights Standards, 1 July 2020).

Language of publication:

English

Further reading:
Law on establishment of the CECC:
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-106hr4444eh/pdf/BILLS-106hr4444eh.pdf
 
Political Prisoner Database
http://www.cecc.gov/resources/political-prisoner-database
 
 
All links accessed 29 September 2020.