Dui Hua Digest, Spring 2025

Unsettling News for Uyghurs

The U.S. Department of State issued a statement on February 27, strongly condemning Thailand for returning at least 40 Uyghurs to China. Some of those Uyghurs had been living in Thailand for years, seeking refugee status. The presence of Uyghurs in Thailand was one of a few human rights related issues that were mentioned during Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s confirmation hearing. Then, nominee Rubio said the U.S. would seek a solution with Thailand, which has close cooperation with the U.S. in the region.  

Human Rights: Still a Red Line? 

On November 16, 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping met U.S. President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the 31st APEC Economic Leaders’ Summit in Lima, Peru. It would be the last time the two men would be face-to-face during the Biden presidency. On November 5, 2024, Donald Trump had been elected president, slated for inauguration on January 20, 2025. 

During the meeting, President Xi spelled out China’s four “Red Lines” which must not be challenged or crossed:

• The Taiwan Question;
• Democracy and Human Rights;
• China’s Path and System, and;
• China’s Development Rights.

Not long after the Lima meeting, President Xi authorized the release of at least six U.S. citizens and one relative of a U.S. citizen. They were released on November 26, 2024, Thanksgiving Eve, and returned to the U.S. the same day. 

The Chinese government has long considered pressing for the release of prisoners, especially political prisoners, as interference in its judicial system. Yet, for many years, it has accepted lists of prisoners that foreign governments want to see released, or at least better treated. In the case of Dui Hua, it has accepted lists with more than 2,000 names and granted clemency to more than 500 prisoners. 

Two of the Americans released on Thanksgiving Day were political prisoners. They had been convicted of endangering state security. 

Perhaps it’s not so much a firm red line as a dotted red line. 

Trump 45 and 47: Does He Care about Human Rights in China? 

A widely held view is that Mr. Trump does not care about human rights in China, or elsewhere for that matter. Like in his first presidency, he’s withdrawn the U.S. from the UN Human Rights Council (the U.S. government didn’t run for another term in October 2024).  While this view is, for the most part, correct, it ignores a few points. 

During his first term, Trump dispatched then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Beijing to press for the release of U.S. citizen Sandy Phan-Gillis, a Texas businesswoman who was accused of espionage and detained in Guangxi since March 2015. The mission was a success. Ms. Phan-Gillis was released in April 2017 [after conviction] and returned to the U.S. 

While campaigning for president, Trump declared, in October 2024, “We’ll get Jimmy Lai out of jail.” This elicited howls of protest from Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee. In January 2025, on a visit to Hong Kong, Mike Pence, Trump’s first term vice president, stated in a closed door meeting that Hong Kong should release Lai. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs commissioner in Hong Kong denounced his intervention. 

Trump views human rights in China as a cudgel to slam Beijing when it suits his purpose. He is a transactional president, ever seeking a “big deal” with China that covers a multitude of subjects including trade and national security. Why not include human rights as part of the “big deal?” 

Polls Show that Americans Continue to Have a Low Opinion of China 

Americans continue to hold a low opinion of China, according to a recent YouGov poll (“Friend or Enemy”). America’s view of China plunged at the end of 2017 and has never recovered since, with COVID exacerbating negative opinions. Another poll shows the U.S. values human rights, although less than before, even if it affects prospects for business and trade. In a March Gallup poll, Americans across the political spectrum felt that promoting and defending human rights abroad was less of a foreign policy priority for the U.S. While that is the case, the State Department’s China fact sheet says it will still “promote accountability for China’s violations of human rights within China and around the globe.”

Despite low ratings, here is a tantalizing prospect: data suggests that opinion on China might have received a boost, albeit temporary, from the release of U.S. prisoners from Chinese prisons in September and November. Dui Hua has long held that releasing prisoners can lead to better opinions on China and has argued as much in meetings with Chinese officials. 

Kamm Discusses Prisoner Advocacy and Juvenile Justice at Asia Society Conference in San Francisco 

Dui Hua Executive Director John Kamm joined experts in various fields at a roundtable discussion at the annual Asia Society’s annual US-China conference in San Francisco on January 16, 2025. The theme of the conference was the future of “US-China Relations — Under Renewed Pressure.”

The focus of Kamm’s presentation was Dui Hua’s work on prisoner advocacy and juvenile justice reform, and how they bridge US-China relations and foster people-to-people dialogue. The panelists acknowledged the challenges and difficulties but remained hopeful, and highlighted the importance of continuing dialogues and exchanges. 

PODCASTS

Encounters with China 

Dragon Years: Remembrance of Times Past is a limited series about founder John Kamm’s work from 1976 to Dui Hua’s founding in 2000, culminating in the Foundation’s 25th Anniversary in 2024.

PUBLICATION HIGHLIGHTS

JOHN KAMM REMEMBERS

From John Kamm Remember, a series written by Dui Hua’s founder recounting his advocacy for prisoners in China.

When Dialogue is Derailed: Hurdles in Hubei

Kamm visits Hubei with colleague Joshua Rosenzweig. There, they meet Ma Kechang, a defense counsel in the trial of the Gang of Four, visit a detention center for corrupt officials and sit on the banks of the Yangtze. Read more  

The Persecution of Rebiya Kadeer

In 2005, Rebiya Kadeer – Uyghur entrepreneur and activist – had been given a rapturous welcome on her arrival in the United States. John Kamm recounts his contribution to Rebiya’s release, following her fall from grace from Chinese politics and subsequent arrest and imprisonment. Read more