[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 10137-10138]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  DEMOCRACY AND AUTONOMY FOR HONG KONG

  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on July 1, 1997, Britain transferred 
sovereignty over Hong Kong to China. Under a ``one country, two 
systems'' arrangement with London, Beijing promised to allow universal 
suffrage as an ultimate aim, along with other freedoms.
  But 20 years later, that promise remains unfilled. Last March, a new 
chief executive was elected, not by the people of Hong Kong, but by a 
committee whose members have close ties to the Chinese Government. 
Human rights groups have documented an erosion of press freedom and 
growing threats to judicial independence. Hong Kong's freedoms are at 
grave risk.
  This Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Hong Kong to 
mark the 20th anniversary of the handover. Some protesters have already 
been detained, including Joshua Wong, who I have met, and newly elected 
legislator, Nathan Law.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members of this Chamber to hold China to its 
word

[[Page 10138]]

and speak out in support of democracy and autonomy for Hong Kong.

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