Robert Smith: “one of the threshold rights that we as Americans hold dear is the right to worship God according to the dictates of…”

“one of the threshold rights that we as Americans hold dear is the right to worship God according to the dictates of one's own conscience. It is for that reason that many Christians and people of all faiths are disturbed by news headlines about the persecution of Christians, specifically, and other religious minorities generally in the nation of the People's Republic of China. This body is about to engage in a great debate on the issue of China and how the religious minorities of that great nation are treated by its government. Many of us are concerned about this issue and find it appalling to read accounts of the persecution of Christians in that nation. I, for one, believe that the best way to help China change its internal affairs toward religious minorities is not by escalating a trade war or military competition with them, but rather to engage them and to focus the spotlight upon this issue in every forum that we can find. I think businesses have an obligation to do that, and I believe we, as U.S. Senators, have an obligation to do that. For that reason, today, I rise to offer this amendment, which is a sense-of-the-Senate amendment, that will focus on the issue of religious persecution in the People's Republic of China.”