This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.
Mr. President, Claims · 52 wordsthe Chinese Government will do anything, at any cost, anywhere in the world to silence its critics. Freedom House has documented hundreds of cases of the Chinese Government stalking, intimidating, even assaulting people outside of China, people all around the world--a lot of people right here in our United States of America.1 Positioning · 12 wordsThis stalking and intimidation of people on our soil is absolutely unacceptable.Positioning Claims · 33 wordsThis goes by the term ``transnational repression.’’ It is China taking its tactics of suppressing dissent and extending them right here where we have freedom of speech in the United States of America.Off point The ask · 57 wordsThus, while President Xi is here in Washington, we need to send a message that says that this is unacceptable, that our Constitution guarantees that every person here in the United States has the right to speak freely, including the right to criticize our government and certainly the right to criticize foreign governments without fear of retaliation. Reasoning · 7 wordsThat is what freedom of speech is. The ask · 21 wordsSo I am calling on the Senate today to affirm our belief in and commitment to this principle of free speech. Claims · 396 wordsThat is why this resolution is a bipartisan resolution, with Senator Dan Sullivan and Senator John Curtis bringing it forward, to say that these Chinese tactics to suppress freedom of speech in the United States and intimidate our citizens are unacceptable.2 We have seen what China has done at home. We have seen what they have done to enslave the Uighurs with facial recognition technology. We have seen what they have done to force Tibetan children into boarding schools. We have seen what they have done in Hong Kong to arrest and imprison those who criticize the Chinese Government. We have seen their journalists jailed for reporting the truth. But it hasn’t been enough for China simply to conduct these practices on Chinese soil; they are exporting those practices here to the United States of America. Freedom House calls this ``the long arm of authoritarianism.’’ It is stretching beyond the borders of China, all around the world--countless stories of how China has intimidated people on our soil into silence. I was struck by a woman in California who said: This individual walked up to me, said ``We know where your family is located in China,’’ and walked away. Why did that happen? Because she had expressed disagreement with some of the policies of China, particularly their oppressive strategies back home. Last week, I spoke with a woman who told me that a member of her family had criticized the Chinese Government, and in retaliation, the Chinese Government had arrested dozens of her family members, not one or two--it should be zero--but dozens. I spoke with journalists from Radio Free Asia. More than 70 relatives of Radio Free Asia’s Uighur news service have been imprisoned or harassed in China in retaliation for reporting done here in the United States by American journalists.3 Beijing has been abusing international institutions, like Interpol and the U.N., to smear and stalk people who are testifying to what is happening to the Uighurs, what is happening in Hong Kong, what is happening to the Tibetan children. In July, Beijing made their long arm of authoritarianism official law.4 Article 63 of a new Chinese law called the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law claims authority for the Chinese Government to hold people and organizations outside of China legally liable for undermining unity and creating division.5 That is obviously code for ``criticizing the Chinese Government.’’ Positioning · 12 wordsIt is unacceptable that we are allowing this to happen right here.Positioning Promise · 18 wordsWe want to reinforce President Trump in conveying to Premier Xi that this is not OK or acceptable. Claims · 15 wordsThere are lots of other discussions taking place about ships, about critical minerals, about trade, The ask · 30 wordsbut absolutely we should affirm as a Senate that we stand behind freedom of speech and reject China’s ability and authority to intimidate, stalk, and oppress people on our soil. Claims · 56 wordsThis week, I led my Senate and House colleagues in a letter to Secretary of State Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and others urging them to protect our freedom of speech here at home.6 As noted by the FBI, ``If you are in the United States, including a U.S. territory, your freedoms are protected.’’7 Procedure · 8 wordsThat sums it up. Your freedoms are protected.Procedure Reasoning · 10 wordsAnd that is why we need to send this message. The ask · 30 wordsLet’s send this powerful, bipartisan message that in the United States of America, people are free to speak, that authoritarians don’t get to bring their repression onto our American soil. Reasoning · 22 wordsWith that, let us fulfill our oath that we took to our Constitution to defend it, including defending our freedom of speech, The ask · 30 wordsand unanimously pass this resolution that says that the long arm of Chinese authoritarianism is unwelcome here in the United States, that it is unacceptable here in the United States.Off point Procedure · 77 wordsAnd to do that, Mr. President, notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to consideration of Calendar No. 247, S. Res. 226; further, that the committee-reported substitute amendment to the resolution be agreed to, the resolution be amended as agreed to, the committee-reported substitute amendment to the preamble be agreed to, the preamble as amended be agreed to, and that the motions to be considered be considered made and laid upon the table.Procedure
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