[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 543 Engrossed in House (EH)]
<DOC>
H. Res. 543
In the House of Representatives, U. S.,
October 15, 2019.
This resolution may be cited as the ``Stand with Hong Kong Resolution''.
Whereas the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-383)
states--
(1) ``[s]upport for democratization is a fundamental principle of
United States foreign policy'';
(2) ``the human rights of the people of Hong Kong are of great
importance to the United States and are directly relevant to United States
interests in Hong Kong [and] serve as a basis for Hong Kong's continued
economic prosperity''; and
(3) ``Hong Kong must remain sufficiently autonomous from the People's
Republic of China to justify a different treatment than accorded to the
People's Republic of China under United States law'';
Whereas the United States maintains substantial economic and political interests
in Hong Kong, with more than 1,200 United States firms operating in the
Special Administrative Region, due largely to Hong Kong's strong
business environment, predicated on respect for the rule of law and an
independent judiciary;
Whereas the United States supports Hong Kong's ``high degree of autonomy''
promised by the Joint Declaration between the Government of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and the Government of the People's Republic of
China on the Question of the Hong Kong (``Joint Declaration'') in
accordance with the ``One Country, Two Systems'' framework through
bilateral agreements, the promotion of trade and investment, and the
bolstering of educational, academic, and cultural links;
Whereas the Department of State reported in its 2019 Hong Kong Policy Act
Report, dated March 21, 2019, that the People's Republic of China has
carried out a number of actions inconsistent with China's commitments in
the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (``Basic
Law'') and the Joint Declaration, which have diminished Hong Kong's high
degree of autonomy;
Whereas China has increasingly constrained Hong Kong's freedoms in violation of
the ``One Country, Two Systems'' framework by, among other actions,
supporting the restriction of entry into Hong Kong for individuals
critical of the Communist Party of China, instructing to the Hong Kong
Government to refuse a United States extradition request in May 2018,
and abusing the national security rationale to justify interference with
matters related to Hong Kong politics and governance;
Whereas on April 3, 2019, the Government of Hong Kong introduced the Fugitive
Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation
(Amendment) Bill 2019 (commonly known as the ``extradition bill'') that
would amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance by expanding the existing
extradition arrangement to include mainland China, allowing for the
handover of any persons in the territory of Hong Kong, residents and
non-residents, as well as any materials in their possession;
Whereas the Department of State issued a statement on June 9, 2019, warning that
the lack of procedural protections in the bill could negatively impact
Hong Kong's longstanding protections of human rights, fundamental
freedoms, and democratic values;
Whereas on June 9, 2019, as many as 1,000,000 people protested against the bill,
and on June 12, 2019, tens of thousands staged a protest near the
Legislative Council building to express opposition to the bill;
Whereas on June 12, 2019, the Government of Hong Kong took advantage of the acts
of a small group of protesters to classify the largely peaceful protest
as an unlawful assembly and a ``riot'', a charge that can result in a
prison sentence of up to 10 years for those who were arrested;
Whereas the police's excessive use of force on June 12, 2019, as seen in video
footage, to disperse the protestors, including the use of tear gas, bean
bag rounds, rubber bullets, batons, and pepper spray, caused severe
injuries to protesters;
Whereas the excessive use of force fueled tensions and contributed to the
worsening of violence;
Whereas on June 16, 2019, as many as 2,000,000 people peacefully gathered in the
Admiralty district, which is likely the largest protest in Hong Kong's
history;
Whereas on July 21, 2019, a group alleged to be linked to organized crime
violently attacked protestors, innocent bystanders, and journalists with
sticks and metal bars in Yuen Long, which resulted in the
hospitalization of forty-five people, with one person in critical
condition;
Whereas the Hong Kong Police Force have been slow to take meaningful action
against those who attacked the protestors on July 21, 2019, suggesting
the police may be complicit in their actions;
Whereas the protestors' demands included--
(1) the complete withdrawal of the extradition bill;
(2) the implementation of universal suffrage in the election of the
Chief Executive and all members the Legislative Council;
(3) the establishment of an independent commission to investigate
police conduct during the protests;
(4) the declassification of the protests as a riots; and
(5) the dropping of all charges against persons who participated in any
protests;
Whereas on July 27, 2019, nine people were injured when police fired rubber
bullets at demonstrators in Yuen Long who were protesting the July 21
violent attacks against protestors and the lack of a police response to
them;
Whereas on July 29, 2019, China's spokesman for the State Council's Hong Kong
and Macao Affairs Office issued a statement referring to the protesters
as ``radical elements committing evil and criminal acts'';
Whereas on July 30, 2019, China's Foreign Ministry falsely claimed that the pro-
democracy protests are the ``work of the United States'', alleging that
American officials have interfered in Hong Kong's internal affairs;
Whereas the Chinese Communist Party has called the protests ``absolutely
intolerable'', ``terrorism'', and ``terror atrocities'', raising fears
that China may use the People's Liberation Army or the People's Armed
Police to violently suppress the protestors;
Whereas on August 5, 2019, teachers, aviation workers, finance employees, and
civil servants went on strike across seven districts, the largest
citywide strike in decades, which evolved into a wave of demonstrations
and resulted in the police firing approximately 800 tear gas rounds to
clear the protestors, almost as many as were used in the previous 8
weeks combined;
Whereas on August 5, 2019, a mob violently attacked demonstrators with sticks
and metal bars in North Point after the demonstrators were dispersed by
police from the Admiralty district, and again the police did not respond
to the ambush;
Whereas on August 6, 2019, a Chinese Communist Party official threatened the
demonstrators by stating, ``those who play with fire will perish by
it'', and ``as for their [the demonstrators'] punishment, it's only a
matter of time'';
Whereas on August 7, 2019, Chinese state media began publishing articles
accusing the Political Counselor to the United States Consulate General
in Hong Kong of being ``a black hand creating chaos in Hong Kong'', as
well as publicly identifying family members of the Consulate General
staff;
Whereas on August 11, 2019, Hong Kong police beat fleeing protesters with batons
and fired pepper ball rounds at them at close range;
Whereas on August 11, 2019, it was reported that a young woman, allegedly a
medic, who has since become a symbol for the protest movement, sustained
a serious eye injury from a bean-bag round after the police fired a
projectile into the crowd;
Whereas on August 18, 2019, as many as 1,700,000 Hong Kong people attended a
peaceful rally against police brutality;
Whereas on August 31, 2019, Hong Kong Police Force Special Tactical Squad
officers beat with batons protesters and train passengers at Prince
Edward station; and
Whereas on September 4, 2019, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced the
Government would withdraw the extradition bill from the Legislative
Council's agenda when it reconvenes in October 2019: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) calls on the Government of Hong Kong to begin negotiations to
address the demonstrators' remaining demands, which include--
(A) the formal withdrawal of the bill from the Hong Kong
Legislative Council;
(B) the implementation of universal suffrage;
(C) the establishment of an independent investigation into
police conduct during the protests;
(D) the declassification of the protest as a riot; and
(E) the dropping of all charges against persons arrested
during the protests;
(2) condemns--
(A) the Hong Kong police's use of force against the
demonstrators in ways that are inconsistent with international
standards for the use of such equipment and in violation of
citizens' rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;
and
(B) the Hong Kong Government for tolerating the use of
violent force against protesters by police;
(3) calls on the Administration to review the appropriateness of
sales by United States firms of munitions and crowd-control equipment to
Hong Kong, to ensure that they are not used to repress peaceful
protests;
(4) condemns efforts by the Hong Kong and Chinese Governments to
characterize the protests as ``riots'' and to falsely accuse the United
States of orchestrating political instability that they alone created;
(5) shares the concerns of the people of Hong Kong that the Hong
Kong Government's proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders
Ordinance, if adopted, would negatively impact the territory's long-
standing protections of human rights, fundamental freedoms, and
democratic values as enshrined in the Basic Law and the Sino-British
Joint Declaration;
(6) recognizes that the ``One Country, Two Systems'' framework and
the Basic Law require that Hong Kong is afforded a high degree of
autonomy with respect to economic and trade matters and the rule of law;
(7) condemns Chinese state media for targeting staff and family
members of the United States Consulate General in Hong Kong;
(8) calls on the Government of Hong Kong and all governments--
(A) to protect the rights of freedom of expression and
peaceful assembly;
(B) to condemn all acts of violence against those seeking to
further their democratic rights; and
(C) to refrain from the use of violence; and
(9) calls on the Government of Hong Kong and the Government of China
to abide by the provisions of the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law.
Attest:
Clerk.