The United States could deny senior Chinese officials, notably those involved in Beijing's "One Child" policy, entry to US soil under a bill to be advanced Wednesday by a key congressional panel.
Republican Representative Chris Smith, a frequent and fierce critic of China's human rights record, authored the legislation going before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement.
The panel's chairman, Republican Representative Elton Gallegly, said the bill served notice to "those in the Chinese government who commit or sanction abuses" that "their actions will not be tolerated by the United States."
"It informs human rights abusers in China that the United States does not stand by as atrocities are committed. It lets them know they are not welcome in the United States," Gallegly said in a statement.
If, as expected, the panel approves the measure, it would still need to clear the full committee, and then the full House of Representatives and Senate in order to go to President Barack Obama for his signature.
"As a nation, we must not turn a blind eye to the Chinese government's continuing acts of silencing dissent, committing crimes against its own people and repressing its citizens' fundamental human rights," said Smith.
Smith's proposal would empower Obama to deny US entry to any senior Chinese official, or family members of any official closely tied to policies that set back democratic reforms in China.
It would also apply to top officials who have shaped or enforced Beijing's "One Child" policy, or "has participated in the repression or persecution of Tibetans, Uighurs, Mongolians or other ethnic minority" or human rights abuses.
