China Hearing.pdf

The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence held a hearing on September 18, 1997, to discuss the People's Republic of China. Chairman Richard Shelby stated that China poses significant risks, opportunities, and dilemmas for the US, and has become the number one foreign policy and intelligence challenge of the 21st century. The hearing focused on what is known about China, what is not known, and what needs to be known, particularly regarding internal Chinese political and economic development, foreign and military policy, and intelligence activities.

The committee heard testimony from several witnesses, including Harry Wu, a research fellow at the Hoover Institute and a native of China with firsthand experience of the Communist regime's methods, and James Lilley, a former US Ambassador to China. The hearing also addressed Chinese proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including sales of advanced weapons and technology to Iran and Pakistan.

Key issues discussed included:

China's emergence as a major economic and military power
The challenges of gathering intelligence on China due to language barriers and secrecy
The potential for China to challenge US interests globally
The need for the US to understand China's internal political and economic development
* China's sales of weapons of mass destruction to Iran and Pakistan, and the implications for regional stability and US non-proliferation goals.

The hearing was part of a broader effort by the US Senate to consider legislation related to China policy, including the China Policy Act of 1997, which aimed to address human rights, religious freedom, prison labor, and other issues.