May 1, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 82 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E416-E417]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              AMERICA'S GLOBAL LEADERSHIP DURING COVID-19

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. SCOTT PERRY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 1, 2020

  Mr. PERRY. Madam Speaker, at the outset, I thank my colleagues, 
Chairman Ami Bera and Ranking Member Ted Yoho, for their critical work 
on this pressing issue.
  American leadership is fundamental to the peace and security of the 
international order. It's the conduit through which the world can 
partake in the fruits of international cooperation and is particularly 
critical to the cause of global health--a cause in which America has 
always led from the front.
  From 2018 through 2019, the United States provided the World Health 
Organization (WHO) with over $890 million, with $656 million coming in 
the form of voluntary contributions. Since launching PEPFAR in 2003, 
the United States has devoted more than $90 billion towards mitigating 
the effects of the HIV epidemic. In Fiscal Year 2019, the U.S. 
dedicated approximately $11 billion towards global health initiatives. 
We're the best financer and promoter of international health efforts in 
the world--from government agencies to non-governmental organizations, 
our People give hope to billions. Progress in international health, 
however, will remain somewhat stunted unless we accept a brutal truth: 
despite America's best efforts, the constant and malicious false 
narratives peddled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are the world's 
greatest impediment to international cooperation and better health 
results.
  The COVID-19 pandemic has once again demonstrated that the CCP is not 
worthy or capable of our trust--a fact we've known for decades. Since 
1949, China has lied to the world and regularly placed the supremacy of 
the state above any other consideration. Following the 1989 Tiananmen 
Square Massacre, the CCP portrayed the pro-Democracy protests as a 
Western plot to discredit China; by crushing these peaceful protests, 
the government claims it was able to pave the way for a prosperous 21st 
Century. Official death estimates from the protests vary widely; China 
has never offered reliable data on this subject--but it remains likely 
that several thousands of young students and their allies were killed 
following a brutal military crackdown.
  In 2000, the CCP immediately labeled Falun Gong--a Chinese spiritual 
movement--as a ``heretical cult,'' and had many ofthe group's followers 
imprisoned. A 2019 report conducted by the China Tribunal--a panel 
created by the International Coalition to End Transplant

[[Page E417]]

Abuse in China (ET AC)--indicates that ``prisoners of conscience,'' 
especially Falun Gong practitioners, were usually targeted for organ 
harvesting. In 2006, a tour guide told visiting European Parliament 
Vice President, Edward McMillan-Scott, that he'd seen the cadaver of 
his friend--a Falun Gong practitioner--with numerous stiches across his 
body. That tour guide received five years in prison for speaking with 
Mr. McMillan-Scott. To this day, the Chinese government denies 
harvesting the organs of Falun Gong practitioners, yet reports indicate 
that the number of Falun Gong practitioners who are victims of organ 
harvesting is in, at least, the thousands, if not the hundreds of 
thousands.
  The way the Chinese treated, and continue to treat the Falun Gong 
runs contrary to standards laid out by the WHO; incredibly, the WHO 
refuses to acknowledge the reality of China's organ harvesting 
campaign.
  According to the Council on Foreign Relations, between 800,000 and 
2,000,000 Uighurs and ethnic Kazaks have been imprisoned in Chinese 
``re-education camps'' since April 2017. In these camps, the CCP has 
condoned the practice of forced abortions and sterilization procedures 
on imprisoned women. Many cases of sexual abuse emanate from these 
institutions as well. Prisoners are placed under constant surveillance 
and have been forced to renounce their religious and political 
convictions.
  In 2003, the People's Republic of China waited three months before 
notifying its own people, as well as the World Health Organization, 
about the SARS outbreak. This pattern of late notice was repeated again 
last year, when the CCP hid knowledge of a new coronavirus. By December 
31, both the WHO and Chinese authorities were alerted by Taiwanese 
officials that this virus could be spread by human-to-human 
transmission; but Beijing didn't tell its own citizens anything until 
January 20. In the interim, China began a wholesale purge of any 
whistleblowers; arresting Dr. Li Wenliang and eight other doctors. 
Earlier this month, Dr. Ai Fei, the Director of Emergency Services at 
Wuhan Central Hospital and a former colleague to Dr. Li, disappeared. 
Untold numbers of doctors, reporters, lawyers, and other civil 
activists have been reported missing for defying the government's 
draconian restrictions on information sharing.
  Silencing whistleblowers and ignoring Taiwan weren't the only sins 
the Communist Party of China committed during the pandemic. On December 
31, the CCP began censoring social media, and launched a campaign to 
find those who'd criticized the government's response to the virus. 
Shortly afterwards, both the Hubei Provincial Health Commission and the 
National Health Commission ordered gene sequencing companies and 
institutions to destroy testing samples; all in the hopes of preventing 
the spread of new information regarding the virus. On January 5, the 
Wuhan Municipal Health Commissions stopped issuing daily updates about 
the virus for almost two weeks; on January 6, the CCP declined a U.S. 
CDC offer of assistance. From January 8-9, CCP health officials stated 
that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission of the virus; 
and it also finally announced the COVID-19 outbreak in public.
  On January 12, the CCP provided the WHO with the virus' genomic 
information. On January 14, the WHO stated that there was no evidence 
to suggest that the virus could be spread by human-to-human 
transmission. This raises many flags--given the fact that the WHO had 
access to the virus' genomic information, and it's troubling that an 
international institution would so quickly provide this kind of 
sweeping statement without a thorough analysis of the data.

  Given the fact that the threat of COVID-19 was significantly 
downplayed by CCP's health authorities, nearly 5 million people were 
able to leave Wuhan, China before the government imposed a quarantine 
on January 21. On January 22, the WHO stated that, while there was 
evidence of human-to-human transmission, more work was needed to 
determine the extent of the transmission. The very next day, WHO 
Director, General Tedros, voted against declaring the outbreak of the 
SARs-CoV-2 virus as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, 
justifying his vote by saying there was no evidence of human-to-human 
transmission outside of China.
  On January 27, the Mayor of Wuhan admitted that strict regulations 
imposed by the Beijing government prevented him from saying much about 
the new virus. On January 29, the WHO praised China's reaction to the 
coronavirus pandemic, while also declaring a Public Health Emergency of 
International Concern the very next day. President Trump wisely closed 
off U.S. travel to Chinese visitors on January 31.
  Well over a month passed before China allowed a restricted visit to 
the WHO; yet that institution continued to parrot the CCP line. 
Numerous other infractions colored China's response fo the 
coronavirus--from threatening criminal charges against those using 
social media to spread information regarding COVID-19, to blaming the 
United States Army for the outbreak.
  This Congress should demand that China be held accountable for its 
gross negligence and cover-up during the current crisis. My hope is 
that everything we've discussed today demonstrates that this is more 
than just a one-off botching; lies and obfuscation form an essential 
part of the Chinese government methodology. China has given us every 
reason to believe that it'll never be a good faith partner, and so our 
future efforts must include taking targeted actions to mitigate its 
influence.
  Many actions need to be taken; the first of which has already been 
done. I applaud President Trump and his Administration for committing 
to withhold all future funding to the WHO until extensive 
organizational change is made. The mind-boggling irresponsibility of 
the WHO during this pandemic just proves that it's powerfully 
influenced and irreparably compromised by the machinations of the CCP. 
The second step is for the U.S. to strongly advocate for the inclusion 
of Taiwan in the WHO. Our Nation has withstood some of the greatest 
challenges in human history, and we'll rise to this one. Time is of the 
essence, though. The CCP is presently the greatest enemy to both global 
health and the United States, and our policies must reflect that.
  Despite this sobering reality, we dare to hope for a better future 
for ourselves and for the Chinese people--the first victims of their 
government's oppressive regime. With full acknowledgement of the 
imposing task in front of us, we'll once again demonstrate to the world 
why the cause of freedom and peace is in good hands.

                          ____________________