From: / Will Leahy, Manager, China Policy
To: / Asia Task Force, China AmChams
I) Democratic Senators Send Letter to Bush Regarding Unsafe Chinese Tires
Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Carl Levin (D-MI) and Robert Casey (D-PA) sent a letter to President Bush earlier today requesting a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation in to defective Chinese tires.
A report in today’s Wall Street Journal (subscription required) stated that as many as 450,000 Chinese-made tires—sold through an American distributor—may lack an important safety feature, and may have resulted in at least one fatal accident.
The revelation regarding Chinese-made tires follows recent consumer-safety concerns surrounding Chinese-made pet food, toy trains, and toothpaste
The full-text of the letter can be found on Sen. Stabenow’s web site.
II) House Committee on Foreign Affairs Marks Up Two China-Related Resolutions
The House Committee on Foreign Affairs marked up two China-related resolutions earlier today:
· The first, H.R. 497, calls for the release of the sons of Uyghur human rights activist Rabiya Kadeer. Kadeer, a Nobel Peace prize nominee, was exiled to the United States in 2005, following a 6-year imprisonment. Kadeer recently met with President Bush during his trip to Eastern Europe.
· The second, H. Con. Res. 136, calls for the lifting of restrictions on visits to the United States by high-level elected and appointed officials from Taiwan.
Given the focus of the two resolutions, it is likely that they will elicit critical responses from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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