Arlen Specter: “as is my custom, when I return from foreign travel, I file a report with the Senate. From August 5 to August 24, I…”

“as is my custom, when I return from foreign travel, I file a report with the Senate. From August 5 to August 24, I traveled abroad. I started with a delegation led by Senator Ted Stevens and Senator Dan Inouye to China where eight U.S. Senators participated in a forum with Parliamentarians from China. We discussed a broad range of issues, with the Chinese delegation being very forceful on their concern about the one-nation policy, that Taiwan not be regarded as an independent nation. We had extensive discussions about the economic imbalance which exists in trade, on the manipulation by the Government of China of its currency, and on the issue of human rights. I raised with the Chinese officials the issue of human rights starting with the incident in 1999 where the Dickinson law librarian in Pennsylvania was kept in custody for some 7 months without being able to see a lawyer, and without being able to see his wife. Following that, an appropriation was made for approximately $2 million in each of the past several years for Temple University to establish in Beijing a law school to teach human rights, with a focus on Chinese judges, Chinese professors, and Chinese lawyers. During the trip to Beijing, I met with almost 50 of the students at the school--some judges, some lawyers, and some academics--where there was a concern to understand due process of law.…”