U.S. Congress Hearing Focuses on Chinese Women's Rights

The U.S. Congressional Executive Committee on China ( CECC ) held its first hearing focusing on women's rights in China. Some U.S. congressmen said at the hearing that Chinese laws seem to protect women's rights, but in fact it is difficult for Chinese women to have equal status, and the sterilization policy implemented by the CCP authorities against ethnic minority women has also attracted attention.

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The Peng Shuai incident and the " chain girl " incident of eight-child mothers in Xuzhou have become the focus of attention at home and abroad, and the status and rights of Chinese women have also attracted attention. When the two sessions of the Chinese People's Congress are about to be held, some representatives have called for a proposal to focus on the abduction and trafficking of women. Nonetheless, on March 1 , the Congressional-Executive Commission on China under the US Congress held its first hearing focusing on women's rights in China, discussing the suppression of China's Me Too movement and women's rights under the mandatory one-child policy. , forced sterilizations and abortions targeting Uyghurs in Xinjiang, and censorship of feminist and other civil women’s groups.

Chinese women's rights are still oppressed even with the law

Senator Jeff Merkley , co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Committee on China ( CECC ), said that while the Chinese government has enacted regulations to address longstanding issues related to gender-based violence, discrimination and harassment, the committee still finds " Mixed good and bad " as women face significant challenges in all of these fields.

“ Several high-profile cases in recent months have highlighted the vulnerability of women to violence, ” he said, opening with Peng Shuai and Xuzhou ’s “ Iron Chain Women , ” “ although many of these reports have generated strong domestic interest, but the Chinese Communist Party works hard to suppress them and stifle speech related to women’s rights, just as it restricts freedom of speech in civil society more broadly. ”

In response to the Xuzhou " Iron Chain Girl " case, a representative of the National People's Congress said that they would submit a bill at the upcoming National Two Sessions, focusing on the abduction and trafficking of women and children, aggravating related criminal responsibilities, and suggesting that the prevention of trafficking in women should be included in the local government assessment. Prior to this, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress reviewed the draft revision of the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests in December last year, which for the first time stipulated the meaning of " discrimination against women " , hoping to give women more protection against gender discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace.

However, in the eyes of the outside world, the rights and interests of Chinese women are still not guaranteed.

Another co-chairman, Rep. Jim McGovern , quoted the Chinese authorities' amendments to women's rights as saying at the hearing: " Although the Chinese Constitution and related laws stipulate that women have equal rights, in fact, their employment There are fewer opportunities and less education than men. To this day, we see little change in that. ”

Scholar says feminism threatens CCP regime

Chinese national leader Xi Jinping believes patriarchalism and repression of women are essential to the survival of the Communist Party, while Chinese cultural Confucianism advocates a predominantly male The family is the foundation of a strong nation. So the Chinese authorities have revived the sexist elements of Confucianism, preaching that women should be submissive wives and mothers in the family, such traditional thinking can help political stability, and modern feminism is flourishing, many women with higher education advocate women's liberation, marriage Autonomous, even reluctant to have children or enter a family. Hong Lida believes that such feminism, to a certain extent, threatens the ruling power of the Chinese Communist Party.

" Why are Chinese leaders threatened by feminism? " Hong Lida said. " These feminists actually pose a real threat to the entire agenda of the Communist Party, which in many ways threatens the ability of Chinese leaders to control the entire people. "

Hearings focus on CCP sterilization of Uyghur women in Xinjiang

In addition, Hong Lida also criticized the Chinese government for treating female fertility as a policy tool. From the past one-child policy to the current " three-child policy " advocated , the decision-making power of childbirth is obviously related to the Chinese government's point of view. In response to an aging society and a declining birth rate, the Chinese government's family planning policy has shifted to encouraging " three children " . However, the authorities still enforce intermarriage and even forced abortion and sterilization for ethnic minorities.

"We are always living in fear. We will be beaten if we don't remember propaganda lessons correctly. Every day we hear screaming and crying. " Tursunay Ziyawudun , a survivor of a concentration camp in Xinjiang Weeping at the hearing and calling for help from the U.S. government through an interpreter, she told lawmakers present: " I don't know what threatening policies the Chinese government wants to implement, but one thing I do know is that the Chinese government wants Uyghur women to have no children, they Attempts to sterilize Uyghur women. ”

Ziawudun, who has been detained twice in Xinjiang concentration camps, became one of the few concentration camp survivors who had the opportunity to go to the United States in 2020 , and was the first Xinjiang concentration camp survivor to testify before the US Congress.

While the Chinese government encourages Han women to have children to increase the birth rate, there are reports that Xinjiang authorities regularly require ethnic minority women to undergo medical examinations, and impose sterilization and sterilization measures on them, or encourage Han men to marry ethnic minority women. Hong Lida criticized at the hearing that if the definition of genocide includes deliberately reducing the birth of a certain minority, this is a practice by the Chinese authorities to carry out genocide.

Reporter: Chen Pinjie Editor-in-charge: Shiqing Web Editor: Hong Wei

Global crude oil prices have spiraled out of control

NEW YORK - Crude oil prices have spiraled out of control in the global market, with Brent crude rising 9 usd a barrel and trading at 7 107 a barrel. According to the details, the war between Russia and Ukraine has added to the turmoil in the global crude oil market. According to the report of the international news agency Reuters, the efforts of the United States and Japan to stabilize the prices by increasing the supply of oil have failed.

According to the latest reports, US crude oil and Brent prices have risen sharply during the trading session. Brent crude rose 9 usd to 7 107 a barrel. US crude oil prices rose sharply by 10 10, pushing the price to 10 105 a barrel .

Oil prices stabilized after reports of the start of talks between Russia and Ukraine earlier this week , but war-related uncertainty pushed the global oil market into crisis again. Is.

Experts say US sanctions on Russia have also left investors in the global oil market in a state of uncertainty. The United States has not imposed sanctions on Russia 's oil products, but investors are refraining from buying Russian oil products. Buyers are forced to refrain from buying Russian oil because of concerns about payments to Russia . Russia is the world 's second-largest oil producer , selling crude oil primarily to European refineries . Besides thatRussia is also Europe 's largest supplier of natural gas , accounting for about 35% of its supply.