Press Contact: Joel Segal 703 329-6836; Ye-Ning 202 331-8248

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December16, 1998

Washington D.C., December 16, 1998 - A press conference was held by the
Free China Movement, a coalition of over 30 Chinese dissident organizations
inside and outside of China. The Free China Movement is the official overseas
representative of the China Democratic Party, the recently established democratic
opposition party in China. The new coalition  also include the VIP Reference, an
internet pro-democracy newsletter, which has been singled out by the Chinese
government as a subversive publication. Leaders of the Free China Movement
called for the immediate release of arrested dissident activists Xu Wenli, Qin
Yongmin, Wang Ce, Li Li (Huang Heqing), Chen Guangming as well as Wang
Youcai, the founders of the opposition Chinese Democratic Party, the most
prominent dissidents in China who have been formally charged with crimes
against the state, and who could receive lengthy jail sentences if convicted.
Additionally, Lin Hai, a Shanghai software engineer, was arrested in March
after sending 30,000 Chinese email addresses to VIP Reference. The Free China
Movement also called on the Chinese government to immediately release Lin
Hai, who was recently sentenced to three to five years in prison, whose sentence
has not yet been carried out in part due to international pressure and media
exposure.

Shengde Lian, executive director of the Free China Movement said, "China's
signing of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights two months
ago was an empty gesture." Mr. Lian further commented,  " It would be a tragic
mistake for the Clinton administration and the European Union to believe that
China has improved it's human rights record and legal system. This is an
absolute myth. The recent crack down on the Chinese Democratic Party
members and the trial of Lin Hai shows that the PRC is still a brutal communist
dictatorship that only holds power through the barrel of a gun. The only realistic
way to pressure the Chinese Government to abide by international human rights
treaties is through economic sanctions. We should terminate MFN trade status
immediately until China stops the arrests of dissidents and guarantees freedom
of speech and assembly."

Ye Ning, a lawyer for the free China Movement who successfully stopped
Addidas from using Chinese prison labor to make soccer balls through a law
suit, said, "The Free China Movement strongly condemns the Chinese
Government's recent wave of arrests of political opposition leaders, and calls
on Congress to speak out on behalf of those dissidents who are asserting their
legal rights of free speech and assembly in China, and respectfully requests
Congress to take the appropriate actions necessary to persuade the Chinese
Government to release the dissidents; this includes passing House Resolution
570, which condemns the Chinese Government's recent crack down on dissidents
in China."

Richard Long, the editor of the Free China Movement VIP Reference Magazine
and director of the recently formed "Free Speech In China Coalition" said,
"The arrest, detention and trial of Lin Hai clearly shows that the Chinese
Government will not allow the free flow of information into China, something
guaranteed in the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. If the Chinese people
can not read their e-mail without the fear of being arrested and sentenced to
prison, how can anybody say that China has made progress on human rights and
has joined the civilized free world? This is simply a myth, China still remains
the world's most brutal and repressive of communist dictatorships. It is the
hope of the Free China Movement and the Chinese people that the Clinton
administration and the rest of the free world will call for the unconditional
and immediate release of the dissidents who face serious
punishment if convicted."

Wan Fu, chairman of  the ADC, and a leader of the opposition magazine China
Spring, said "The Chinese government must not be allowed to violate
international human rights agreements without a strong rebuke from the
American, European, international community. Human rights and democracy
are sacred rights to all citizens. The only way to talk to the Chinese
government so they respect international human rights agreements is by making
them realize that they will suffer economically through trade sanctions and
other restrictions of their exports of Chinese goods. They will sit back and
ignore symbolic gestures."

Free China Movement leaders will meet with leaders of Congress today
following the press conference to urge passage of HR 570, and to encourage
Congress to terminate MFN until China abides by the UN human rights treaties
that China has signed. There will also be a protest in front of the United Nations
on Thursday, December 17, 1998 that is being sponsored by the Free China
Movement and  Chinese democracy Movement Round Table Meeting formed in November.

DC Office of  Free China Movement
 1319 18th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
 703 645-9054, 202 2562925English;
703 329-6836, fax 703