China Again Puts Off Cox Delegation Visit
For the second time in as many years, the Chinese government backed out on an agreement to allow Rep. Christopher Cox (R-Newport Beach) to lead congressional delegations to Tibet.
After last fall’s Sino-American Summit in Washington, Chinese President Jiang Zemin gave permission for the Newport Beach Republican to lead a pair of congressional delegations to Tibet in July and August.
But Tuesday, Jiang indefinitely postponed both trips, saying they fell too close to a scheduled visit to China by President Clinton.
“Tourists are routinely given visas for Tibet,” Cox said. “Singling out the leadership of Congress in this way is a blatant reprisal of our anti-Communist political views.”
The decision came a week after Cox presented an award to newly exiled Chinese democracy advocate Wang Dan and commended him for standing up to “Communist threats, intimidation, and imprisonment.”
As chairman of the Republican House Policy Committee, Cox proposed the “Policy for Freedom,” a set of 11 bills aimed at China’s human rights violations, promoting free trade, and cracking down on Chinese espionage and weapons sales. All 11 bills passed the House last year.
In March 1997, the Chinese government canceled another scheduled Cox trip to Tibet, citing “scheduling difficulties.”
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