WASHINGTON — The world will be watching China as it hosts the Olympics this year. So will U.S. lawmakers, who hope to use the attention to highlight their complaints about China’s government.
Lawmakers, in hearings and in legislation, will scrutinize what some see as unfair Chinese economic policies, its secretive military buildup and its human-rights abuses.
“The Chinese want this ‘Show’ — with a capital ‘S’ — to showcase their government to the world,” Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., said in an interview. Congress, he said, should use that as leverage to “bring maximum scrutiny and light to their egregious human-rights abuses.”
Smith champions legislation that would stop U.S. tech companies from aiding countries that restrict Internet access.
American Internet companies have been denounced for turning a blind eye to abuse in China so they can crack that lucrative market.
