Open Letters

China and the Rule of Law

Google Chooses to Do No Evil
Google's announcement on Tuesday that it had detected "highly sophisticated" attacks on the email accounts of Chinese human rights activists clearly illustrates the consequences of a policy toward China based on a long-standing but faulty argument. For 30 years, Western commentators have argued that expanded human and political rights for Chinese citizens will automatically flow from increased engagement with China on economic and security issues, and other areas of mutual interest. But this thesis is not supported by history -- or my personal experience... (Click here to read the entire Foreign Policy Magazine Article)

The case of Mr. Feng Zhenghu exemplifies the systemic lack of due process and the rule of law in China, which traps and intimidates its citizens. Click the links below to read more about Mr. Feng situation and its legal context.

This section contains articles which discuss the rule of law in China. The rule of law is a fundamental attribute of a stable and harmonious society. Without institutions and governance that support the rule of law, individual, corporate, and organizational freedoms cannot be protected or guaranteed.

Our Mission

We are committed to sowing the seeds of truth, love, justice, freedom, and democracy in China, through the following means:
*promoting principles of non-violent struggle;

*raising awareness among Chinese citizens of their legal rights;

*advancing the Chinese Citizen Power Movement (Gong-min-li-liang);

*encouraging Chinese citizens to evaluate their government, to affirm its positive efforts on their behalf, and to critique it when necessary; and

*providing more overseas assistance, with the aim of influencing the policies of the government.

All these efforts are undertaken in order to accomplish a peaceful transition to a democratic China through constitutional reform.

Entries Tagged as 'Open Letters'

Statement On the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s Flight from Tibet and Arrival into Freedom in Exile

March 9th, 2009 · No Comments

03-09-2009 Issued by Initiatives for China
Contact: Jim Geheran Tel: 202-290-1423
We recognize this solemn anniversary with both sadness and hope. Our sadness is compounded by 50 years of suffering by our Tibetan brothers. For fifty years the world watches the Chinese Communist government systematically decimate the great Tibetan culture and vilify as terrorists the [...]

Letter to Secretary Clinton from Congeressmen

February 12th, 2009 · No Comments

02-12-2009 Issued by Initiatives for China Contact: Jim Geheran Tel: 202-290-1423
January 26, 2009
The Honorable Hillary Clinton
Secretary of State
2201 C St NW Ste 7276
Washington DC 20520
Dear Secretary Clinton:
We write to bring to your attention the plight of Dr. Wang Bingzhang, a permanent U.S. resident, long-time democracy activist, and prisoner of conscience currently serving a life [...]

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Congressman McGovern and Wolf Call on U.S. Embassy in China to Demand Immediate Release of Charter 08 Signatory, Mr. Liu Xiaobo.

December 21st, 2008 · No Comments

12-21-2008 Issued by Initiatives for China Contact: Jim Geheran Tel: 202-290-1423
initiatives4china@gmail.com website:www.initiativesforchina.org
Letter follows December 10th press conference at which Dr. Yang Jianli calls the arrest proof that the Chinese government wants to protect its hold on power rather than protect its citizens.
Following the December 10th Press Conference on Capitol Hill, during [...]

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Charter 08 Special Section

Please click here to view Charter 08 Special Section.

"In Support of Charter 08" by Dr. Yang Jianli

"Thank you to those people in China who have created and published Charter 08. We have great appreciation and admiration for their thoughtful, brilliantly clear and concise manifesto published on December 10th. It appears that Charter 08 has uplifted the hearts and hopes of many dear brothers and sisters within China who have signed on to the original 303 names by the tens of thousands and wish to publicly stand for their rights. We are in awe of their courage and sincere committment. This momentous document and the community is noticed also by the world outside China. May the sincere aspirations of the Chinese people for democracy continue to flourish."

List of Political and Religous Prisoners

1. Dr. Wang Bing-zhang, lifelong democracy activist. Mr. Wang was allegedly kidnapped in Vietnam by Chinese State Security police in 2002. He was taken to China where he was sentenced to life in prison after a closed door trial. Mr. Wang is 62 years old and in poor health. Click here

2. Mr. Chen Guang-cheng, a blind and self-taught human rights lawyer helping women victims of China's strict one birth policy. August 24, 2006, after a two-hour trial, Chen was charged was sentenced to over 4 years in prison. Click here

3. Mr. Qin Yong-min, one of the first leaders in the pro-democracy movement in China. The first arrest of him was in 1981 for 7 years prison. The last arrest was On December 22, 1998, and the Wuhan City Court sentenced him to twelve years in prison. Click here

4. Mr. Zhang Zhongxin, a pastor of a local house church in Jiangxiang County, Shandong Province. June 6th of 2008, pastor Zhang Zhongxin was arrested and then sentenced for two years reeducation through labor in July 4th. Click here

Introduction to the Founder

Founder and President of Initiatives for China, Dr. Yang Jianli was born in Shandong Province in northern China. A graduate of Beijing Normal University, Dr. Yang holds a PhD. in Mathematics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD in Political Economy from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. In 1989, at the age of 26, his fellow graduate students at Berkeley selected him to go to Beijing in support of their counterparts in China who were demonstrating for democracy in Tiananmen Square. He arrived in Tiananmen Square in time to witness the massacre of thousands of peaceful demonstrators by the guns and tanks of the Chinese government. This event fundamentally changed young Jianli's future. He narrowly escaped capture and returned to the United States where he committed himself to studying democracy. Read more...

Interfaith / Interethnic Leadership Conference