[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 543 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 543
Recognizing Hong Kong's bilateral relationship with the United States,
condemning the interference of the People's Republic of China in Hong
Kong's affairs, and supporting the people of Hong Kong's right to
protest.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 30, 2019
Mr. Sherman (for himself, Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Connolly, and Mr. Yoho)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing Hong Kong's bilateral relationship with the United States,
condemning the interference of the People's Republic of China in Hong
Kong's affairs, and supporting the people of Hong Kong's right to
protest.
Whereas the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-383)
states that--
(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 1,300 United States firms operating in the
Special Administrative Region, owing largely to Hong Kong's favorable
business environment;
Whereas the United States supports Hong Kong's ``high degree of autonomy''
promised by the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 in accordance
with the ``one country, two systems'' framework by concluding and
implementing bilateral agreements, promoting trade and investment, and
bolstering 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
implemented a number of fixed ``redlines'' inconsistent with China's
commitments in the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region, and the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, which have
diminished Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy;
Whereas the Communist Party of China has increasingly constrained Hong Kong's
freedoms in violation of the ``one country, two systems'' framework by
supporting, among other actions, the banishment of the pro-independence
Hong Kong National Party, the restriction of entry for individuals
critical of the Communist Party of China, the refusal of a United States
extradition request in May 2018, and the indiscriminate disqualification
of candidates for office due to their alleged support for Hong Kong
self-determination;
Whereas, on April 3, 2019, the Government of Hong Kong introduced a bill to
amend the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal
Matters Ordinance laws (commonly known as the extradition bill)
concerning extradition to expand the extradition arrangement to include
mainland China, which would allow for the handover of any persons in the
territory of Hong Kong, residents and nonresidents, as well as 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, approximately 1,000,000 people peacefully rallied
against the bill, and on June 12, 2019, in Admiralty, tens of thousands
staged a protest outside the city's government headquarters to stop the
legislators from moving forward with the bill;
Whereas, on June 12, the Government of Hong Kong took advantage of the acts of a
small minority of protesters and classified 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, to disperse the
protestors, including tear gas, beanbag rounds, rubber bullets, batons,
and pepper spray, widely visible in video footage, fueled tensions,
contributed to worsening violence, and caused severe injuries to
protesters;
Whereas, on June 16, 2019, approximately 2,000,000 people peacefully gathered in
Admiralty, equivalent to 25 percent of the population, the largest
protest in Hong Kong's history;
Whereas, on July 21, 2019, a self-professed progovernment mob of men violently
attacked protestors, innocent bystanders, and journalists with sticks
and metal bars in Yuen Long, which resulted in the hospitalization of 45
people, with 1 person in critical condition;
Whereas the Royal Hong Kong Police have failed to take action against the
progovernment ``triad'' gangs, suggesting the police may be complicit in
their actions;
Whereas the protestors' demands include: the complete withdrawal of the bill to
amend the extradition bill; the implementation of universal adult
suffrage in the election of Chief Executive and the Legislative Council;
the establishment of an independent commission to investigate whether
police have used excessive force; the declassification of the protest as
a riot; and the dropping of all charges against persons who did not
personally engage in violence;
Whereas, on July 27, 2019, 9 people were injured when police fired rubber
bullets at demonstrators in Yuen Long who were protesting the July 21,
2019, triad gangs' violent attacks 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'', and
applauding the police for sticking to their posts;
Whereas, on July 30, 2019, China's Foreign Ministry said the pro-democracy
protests are the ``work of the United States'', alleging that there had
been unprecedented levels of contact between prodemocracy leaders and
the United States;
Whereas the Chinese Communist Party has expressed its ``strong indignation'' and
has called the protests ``absolutely intolerable'', raising fears that
the Party may use force in an attempt to violently suppress the
protestors;
Whereas, on August 5, 2019, teachers, aviation workers, finance employees, and
civil servants went on strike across 7 districts, the largest citywide
strike in decades, which evolved into a wave of demonstrations, and
resulted in the police firing 800 tear gas rounds to clear the
protestors, almost as many as were used in the previous 8 weeks;
Whereas, on August 5, 2019, a self-professed pro-government mob of men violently
attacked demonstrators with sticks and metal bars in North Point after
the demonstrators were dispersed by police from Admiralty, 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 that, ``those who play with fire will perish by
it'' and ``as for their [the demonstrators,] punishment, it's only a
matter of time''; and
Whereas, on August 7, 2019, pro-Beijing media began publishing articles accusing
Julie Eadeh, the Political Counselor at the United States Consulate
General in Hong Kong, of subversion, as well as publicly identifying her
husband and family: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) calls on the Government of Hong Kong to begin to
undertake steps towards negotiations to address the
demonstrators' 5 central demands: the complete withdrawal of
the bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal
Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance laws (commonly known
as the extradition bill); the implementation of universal adult
suffrage; the establishment of an independent investigation;
the declassification of the protest as a riot; and the dropping
of all charges against persons arrested during the protests;
(2) condemns the Hong Kong police's use of force against
the demonstrations in a manner that violates citizens' rights
of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly;
(3) calls on the Administration to ensure that munitions
and crowd-control equipment the United States sells to the Hong
Kong police aren't used to repress peaceful protests in Hong
Kong;
(4) condemns the efforts by the Hong Kong and Chinese
Governments to characterize the protests as ``riots'' and to
blame the United States for involvement in the political
instability they alone created;
(5) shares the concerns of the people of Hong Kong that the
lack of procedural protections in the proposed amendments to
the extradition bill, which would negatively impact the
territory's longstanding protections of human rights,
fundamental freedoms, and democratic values as enshrined in the
Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984;
(6) recognizes the ``one country, two systems'' framework
and the Basic Law afford Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy
with respect to economic and trade matters, and rule of law;
(7) condemns the pro-Beijing media for targeting Julie
Eadeh, the Political Counselor at the United States Consulate
General in Hong Kong, and her family; and
(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.
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