[JURIST] The US Congressional-Executive Commission on China [official website] has flagged ongoing human rights abuses and the stalled development of the rule of law in China in its latest Annual Report [official report, PDF]. The Commission, consisting of nine US senators, nine House members and five executive appointees, highlighted two general concerns in its 2007 review submitted Wednesday: 1) Chinese leaders’ increasing intolerance of citizen activism and greater suppression of information on urgent matters of public concern (including food safety, public health, and environmental emergencies); and 2) the instrumental use of law for political purposes. The report also documented heightened repression in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and Tibetan autonomous areas of China, increased harassment of legal advocates, and more stringent restrictions on Chinese reporters.

China, the host of the 2008 Summer Olympics, has lately been under growing pressure [advocacy website] from human rights organizations to comply with international human rights and regulatory standards. TIME has more.