听
Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA-10) and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL-6), both two vocal critics of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing鈥攄iscussed China鈥檚 ongoing human rights violations听in a December webinar hosted by 性视界传媒鈥檚听 (NSI).
The discussion, 鈥2022 Winter Olympics: Standing up to China鈥檚 Human Rights Abuses,鈥 was moderated by the institute鈥檚 Les Munson, former staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Wexton is a member of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, where she has been a voice for Uyghur community. Waltz, a member of the House鈥檚 China Task Force, has previously called on the Chinese Communist Party to of Chinese religious minorities.
The Biden administration announced in that it will not send a diplomatic delegation to the 2022 Winter Olympics or Paralympics in Beijing. And on Dec. 23, President Biden signed the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, co-introduced by Wexton and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) in early 2021, underscoring鈥痶he United States鈥 commitment to combatting forced labor, including in the context of the ongoing genocide in Xinjiang.
鈥淒ictators love the Olympics,鈥 Waltz said, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Crimea two months after the Sochi Olympics.
鈥淢ajor sports events should not be used to legitimize dictatorships,鈥 said Wexton.
Wexton and Waltz also criticized the role of the International Olympic Committee in Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai鈥檚 case and hinted at the need for reforming international sports. In November, Shuai accused a top communist party official of sexually assaulting her three years ago. On Dec. 2, the Women鈥檚 Tennis Association moved to suspend all tournaments in China, in response to China鈥檚 censorship of Shuai.
鈥淚鈥檝e been frankly concerned that our approach to China was becoming a partisan issue. It should not be a partisan issue, human rights should be a bipartisan issue,鈥 Waltz said.
The National Security Institute at Mason鈥檚 Antonin Scalia Law School is dedicated to finding real-world answers to national security law and policy questions. The institute's NSI 2020 project has focused on two of America鈥檚 most pressing national security challenges: the rise of China and preserving U.S. technology innovation leadership
.