Committee of 100 Issues Commentary In Response to US-China Security Review Commission Report

July 18, 2002

New York, NY (July 18) – The Committee of 100 issued a commentary on the US-China Security Review Commission (USCC)’s annual report to Congress, released on July 15. It aired today on National Public Radio as part of the show Pacific Time’s examination of the USCC report.
The commentary follows:

The Congressional report by the US-China Security Review Commission is another example of conjectures and worst-case hypotheses resulting in potentially misleading conclusions in the Commission’s report. It's reminiscent of many similar conclusions reached in the Cox Report of 1999. Much of it was later widely repudiated, most notably by a panel of distinguished scientists from Stanford University.

The alleged "threat" of Taiwan's forced reunification with China reflects more the a priori judgment of the commission, not reasoned assessment of facts. The report understates the impact of the great social and economic integration underway between Taiwan and China. Taiwanese investment in China has exceeded 100 billion US dollars. And close to 1 million Taiwanese are in China to visit, study, work, even to marry and retire. The Commission fails to consider that such integration is a deterrent to military conflict.

The report also disturbingly raised questions about the role that Chinese students, researchers, and scholars in the US play in the transfer of American technology to China. Such rhetoric goes down the slippery slope that cast groundless suspicion on all Chinese, including Chinese Americans, of spying for China. We are deeply saddened, if not outraged, by the questioning of our loyalty as Americans.
The injustice of jumping to conclusions, without evidence, was dramatically demonstrated in the shameful case of Wen Ho Lee, who was branded a Chinese spy without due process. His case came hot on the heels of the Cox Report and the atmosphere of paranoia about China that was created in the mass media. We are concerned that this report could similarly pave the way for ethnic profiling, civil rights abuses, and judicial failures that would harm Chinese Americans.

The 2001 survey the Committee of 100 commissioned found a disturbing 46% of all Americans believe that Chinese Americans passing on secret information to China is a problem. Where do these ideas originate? Has this bias influenced the Congressional commission or have the actions of such commissions reinforced this ethnic stereotype?

We hope that the Commission in its future studies will draw its conclusions based on hard-headed, rational analysis. Because an informed, educated public is the best assurance to shaping a sound policy on our relationship with China.