[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 497 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 497
Commemorating the life of Dr. Li Wenliang and calling for transparency
and cooperation from the Government of the People's Republic of China
and the Communist Party of China.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 11, 2020
Mr. Cotton (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Markey, Mr. Gardner, Mr.
Barrasso, and Ms. Warren) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
March 3, 2020
Committee discharged; considered and agreed to with an amended preamble
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commemorating the life of Dr. Li Wenliang and calling for transparency
and cooperation from the Government of the People's Republic of China
and the Communist Party of China.
Whereas Dr. Li Wenliang was a 34-year-old ophthalmologist working in Wuhan,
China;
Whereas research indicates that the first patient infected with the 2019 novel
coronavirus (2019-nCoV) exhibited symptoms in early December 2019;
Whereas, in December 2019, Dr. Li notified his associates in the medical
community in China about the outbreak of 2019-nCoV;
Whereas, after raising concerns about the spread of 2019-nCoV, Dr. Li was
summoned by Chinese officials and forced to sign a statement retracting
his warnings about the virus and confessing that he had spread illegal
rumors;
Whereas Chinese government authorities played down dangers to the public for
weeks as 2019-nCoV continued to spread, with more than 42,000 confirmed
cases in China alone and at least 1,000 deaths reported as of February
11, 2020;
Whereas Dr. Li continued to work as an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital
despite his knowledge of the outbreak, and appears to have been infected
himself with 2019-nCoV after coming in contact with a patient he was
treating for glaucoma;
Whereas, on the morning of February 7, 2020, in the hospital where he worked,
Dr. Li Wenliang died after contracting 2019-nCoV;
Whereas, before he passed away, Dr. Li stated, ``If the officials had disclosed
information about the epidemic earlier, I think it would have been a lot
better. There should be more openness and transparency.'';
Whereas the people of China expressed their grief and anger on social media
after the death of Dr. Li with the phrase ``I want freedom of speech,''
which was swiftly censored by the Government of the People's Republic of
China;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China continues to limit free
expression, and stepped up censorship after online criticism and
investigative reports by Chinese journalists suggesting that officials
underestimated and underplayed the threat of 2019-nCoV;
Whereas Freedom House has listed China as the ``worst abuser of internet
freedom'' in the world for the fourth year in a row, and in the
aftermath of the outbreak of 2019-nCoV, there are numerous and well-
documented instances of the ``Great Firewall'' of China suppressing the
free flow of critical and medically important information about the
pandemic;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has endangered the
people of Taiwan and people around the world by using its influence to
limit Taiwan's access to the benefits of membership in the World Health
Organization and the International Civil Aviation Organization,
particularly during the current outbreak; and
Whereas the World Health Organization has declared 2019-nCoV a Public Health
Emergency of International Concern: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) honors the life and contributions of Dr. Li Wenliang,
and extends heartfelt sympathy to his family and to the
families of all who have passed during this outbreak;
(2) expresses its support for the people of China as they
face this unprecedented public health challenge;
(3) expresses gratitude to Dr. Li and all Chinese medical
personnel and citizens for their efforts to spread awareness of
2019-nCoV and treat individuals who have contracted the
disease;
(4) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of
China and the Communist Party of China--
(A) to be open and transparent in investigating and
responding to 2019-nCoV;
(B) to ensure that Chinese citizens and the
international community have free and unfettered
access, without censorship or social media controls, to
information about 2019-nCoV;
(C) to cooperate fully with the United States
Government, including the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, in providing medical access, sharing
information, and developing treatment to combat 2019-
nCoV;
(D) to cooperate fully with other governments,
especially those in Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin
America, and other regions whose health systems already
face high burdens and are operating from a lower base
of capability, as well as international health
organizations in combating 2019-nCoV; and
(E) to cease efforts to exclude Taiwan from
international organizations, including the World Health
Organization and the International Civil Aviation
Organization;
(5) affirms the vital importance of Dr. Li's belief that
``[t]here should be more openness and transparency'' in China;
(6) affirms that freedom of expression is a social good
that enables experts to sound public health warnings and helps
citizens ensure that their government addresses weaknesses in
crisis response; and
(7) strongly supports the people of China in their demand
for freedom of speech.
<all>