What Will the Next Congress Prioritize on China?

Rep. Chris Smith greets activist Sunny Cheung during a Congressional-Executive Commission on China hearing in 2019.(Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Leadership of the commission charged with keeping watch of human rights in China will turn over in the new Congress. Rep. Chris Smith will likely chair the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, his second time leading the panel.

Smith, a New Jersey Republican, discussed his priorities for the coming Congress in an impromptu 20-minute interview with The Dispatch last week during House votes. Below are some highlights.

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act

Along with producing an annual report on human rights in China, keeping a list of political prisoners, and crafting legislation, one of the CECC’s main tasks is holding hearings. Smith plans early on to hold a hearing on implementation of one of the commission’s biggest achievements—the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act—and will seek testimony from Biden administration officials. 

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