Transcript of Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi's Opening Statement from Hearing on CCP Transnational Repression

December 13, 2023
Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held a hearing on the transnational repression activities conducted by the CCP against dissidents and activists beyond its borders.

The following witnesses provided testimony:

Below is a transcript of the opening statement from Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL). Footage of the Ranking Member’s opening statement can be found here, and his questions to the witnesses can be found here.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

We all know the plot of “The Terminator” movie series. Take a look at the visual here. An AI system called SkyNet sees humanity as a threat to its existence, and creates machines to repress humans.

Sadly, the fictional SkyNet has parallels to a real-world program the CCP has created to repress its own people.

Oddly enough, the CCP’s program is also called SkyNet. Sky Net – and a related operation called Fox Hunt – are part of the CCP’s efforts to track down, repress, and capture, among others, its fiercest critics around the world. This is called transnational repression, or TNR for short.

In fact, to carry out this TNR, the CCP has established at least 102 overseas police stations in 53 countries, including America. But these police stations are just what grab the headlines. The biggest problem is actually the impact of the CCP’s TNR efforts against countless individuals in our country.

Ms. Kwok – one of our witnesses – has a bounty on her head because she chose to stand up for freedom. Look at the “wanted poster” behind me – apparently her crime was, quote-unquote, “[meeting] with foreign politicians and government officials to request ‘sanctions’.”

That’s right. In the eyes of the CCP, testifying before this Committee could also a crime. 

Mr. Zhang – another witness here today – is an international student. Because he decided to speak up for human rights in the PRC, his family in China has been targeted – and even pulled in for questioning by authorities. But Ms. Kwok and Mr. Zhang are hardly alone.

Imagine being a defender of Uyghur or Tibetan rights facing endless threats from mysterious accounts on WeChat.

Or imagine facing literal violence because of your free speech, that’s the CCP, I think. Just to name one example, protestors outside the Chinese consulate in Manchester, England had to be rescued after literally being dragged into the consulate grounds. 

At the APEC Summit in San Francisco, activists like Ms. Kwok also faced violence as they protested Xi’s visit. That’s why the Chairman and I sent a letter to the DOJ requesting information about how we can do even more to ensure critics of the CCP in America have the protection they need. 

Now some may ask what more needs to be done.

Step One is vigorously enforcing our laws and raising awareness about the CCP’s TNR, so pro-CCP attacks don’t fall through the cracks.

Step Two is increasing outreach to impacted communities, so they know where to turn. On that note, if you’re ever a victim of the CCP, please dial 1-800-CALL-FBI.

And of course, Step Three is upholding our nation’s legacy of welcoming those facing persecution from around the world. Defenders of human rights in the PRC should have a home in America. Full stop.

The stakes could not be higher. Since speaking truth to power in the PRC is nearly impossible, if critics of the CCP cannot speak freely in America, the CCP will have succeeded in eliminating voices of criticism everywhere. That means censorship on a global scale – meted out through violence and harassment.

As it stands, many people in America do not speak up against the CCP because they fear for themselves or their families. We’ve seen the headlines about activists being harassed, but a story is not written when someone stays silent out of fear. And every time that happens, the CCP wins - and the Chinese people lose.

So I have a message for the CCP: STOP. Stop subjecting people exercising their rights to fear and repression. Stop targeting their families. And stop the harassment and flagrant violations of our laws.

Because on this Committee, we won’t stop. We will do everything in our power to hold the CCP accountable when it violates human rights and silences speech in America. And most importantly, we will ensure that the communities that need our support get it. 

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