China Labour Bulletin Research Director, Robin Munro, was one of five expert witnesses to testify at the hearing. Dr Munro pointed out that the Chinese government’s determination to ensure that nothing spoils the Olympic party has led to massive crackdown on the country’s emerging civil rights movement.

“This makes a mockery of Beijing's pledges to the IOC and the world that holding the Olympic Games would advance the human rights cause in China. Clearly, Beijing 2008 is not going to be anything like Seoul in 1988,” he said.

Moreover, Dr Munro argued, the Olympics is threatening to distract from the urgent and serious issues the government should be addressing such as the state of health care and rural education, as well as the entrenched problem of official corruption and the basic livelihoods of hundreds of millions of workers whose rights are violated daily.

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China was created by Congress in October 2000, with the legislative mandate to monitor human rights and the development of the rule of law in China, and to submit an annual report to the President and the Congress. It consists of nine Senators, nine members of the House of Representatives, and five senior Administration officials appointed by the President.