[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 198 (Friday, November 20, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1062]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONDEMNING ACTS BY PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA AND GOVERNMENT OF HONG 
KONG SPECIAL ADMINISTRATIVE REGION THAT VIOLATE FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS AND 
                    FREEDOMS OF HONG KONG RESIDENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 18, 2020

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Congressional China 
Caucus and senior member of the House of Representatives, I rise in 
strong support of H. Res. 1033, ``Condemning acts by the People's 
Republic of China and the Government of the Hong Kong Special 
Administrative Region that violate fundamental rights and freedoms of 
Hong Kong residents as well as acts that undermine Hong Kong's high 
degree of autonomy''.
  First and foremost, I wish to thank my colleague, Chairman Engel, for 
his leadership on the Foreign Affairs Committee as well as on this 
vital, bipartisan piece of legislation.
  Time and time again, the Federal Government of the United States has 
had to rebuke Beijing for its aggression against Hong Kong and the 
Chinese Government's continuous efforts to restrict the region's 
autonomy.
  Today, we will once again defend Hong Kong by passing this 
resolution, which calls on Beijing to rectify national security law 
provisions inconsistent with the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law 
and advises the U.S. government to coordinate with allies and partners 
to respond to the deterioration of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.
  In 1997, the British relinquished control over Hong Kong to China 
under a unique agreement which created the infamous ``one country, two 
systems'' principle.
  For over two decades, the people of Hong Kong enjoyed strong 
democratic institutions, including an independent judiciary, and have 
been able to proudly exercise their civil liberties.
  However, since 2014, the Chinese government has increasingly sought 
to undermine Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy.
  Most recently, on July 1, 2020, the Government of China imposed 
sweeping national security legislation on the people of Hong Kong, 
fundamentally altering Hong Kong's autonomy and undermining the basic 
rights and freedoms promised to the people of Hong Kong under the Sino-
British Joint Declaration, a legally binding international agreement 
guaranteeing that the social and economic systems, as well as the life-
style, in Hong Kong will remain unchanged through 2047.
  Beijing's national security law is the culmination of Xi Jinping's 
years long assault on Hong Kong's democratic freedoms and autonomy, and 
we must do our part as defenders of democratic freedom around the world 
to push back on Beijing's aggression.
  Under the national security law, the Chinese Government has 
criminalized any acts of:
  Secession, breaking away from the country;
  Subversion, undermining the power or authority of the central 
government;
  Terrorism, using violence of intimidation against people; and
  Collusion with foreign or external forces.
  In addition, it authorizes China's national security agencies to 
establish a presence in Hong Kong.
  This national security law gives Beijing a new tool with which to 
crack down on protesters and dissidents as well as push forward 
education that trumpets the successes of the Communist Party.
  Mr. Speaker, you may remember that last year, pro-democracy protests 
erupted in Hong Kong in response to legislation that would have enabled 
suspected criminals to be extradited to mainland China.
  Thousands of students, lawyers, pro-democracy legislators, corporate 
executives, and others came together to protest that grave incursion of 
Hong Kong's autonomy and appealed to the United States support their 
pro-democracy movement, and we did by making the Hong Kong Human Rights 
and Democracy Act public law.
  By passing this crucial resolution today, Members of Congress are 
standing up for the democratic principles we hold so dear.
  Since its founding, the United States has been a city upon a hill, 
the model of democracy for the rest of the world, and a fierce defender 
of civil liberties for all.
  It is our moral duty to stand up for what is right and condemn what 
is wrong.
  Our vote to pass H. Res. 1033 sends a clear message to China and the 
world that the U.S. not only condemns Beijing's actions as violation of 
international law but also that we will continue to stand with Hong 
Kong.
  I urge all Members to join me in voting for H. Res. 1033.

                          ____________________