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Press Release

SOURCE: American Renewal

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5 (PRNewswire) -- American Renewal Vice President Richard Lessner today issued the following statement:

``Even as the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on China's permanent most favored trade status, the [Chinese] government continues to crack down on Protestant and Catholic Christians, followers of the Falun Gong Buddhist meditation [group] and other religious believers.

``Coming after House passage of permanent MFN last May -- and just days from a critical Senate vote these actions by the Beijing government demonstrate once again the utter contempt in which the rulers of China hold the United States and basic human rights.

``Proponents of permanent favored trade status keep telling us that China is changing, that unrestrained economic relations inevitably will reform the [Chinese government] regime in Beijing. Well, when are we going to see evidence of these reforms? Even before the House vote, the [Chinese government] had begun cracking down on religious believers. Now with the Senate poised to finalize China's long- sought trade status, news is reaching the West of new attacks on religion. The [Chinese governments] offensive against people of faith is expanding to include Christian and Catholic groups not affiliated with the five official, state- approved and state-controlled religions.

``Before the Senate gives China an implicit pass on this latest assault on religion by handing the persecutors permanent trade status, it should adopt tough, enforceable sanctions linked to improvements in China's appalling human rights record.''

American Renewal, a non-profit lobbying organization, was founded in 1992 to educate the general public and cultural leaders about traditional American values and to promote the philosophy of America's founding fathers concerning the nature of ordered liberty.