Sec. 6209. Sense of Congress on policy toward Hong Kong
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Congress makes the following findings: The United States policy toward Hong Kong is guided by the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 ( Public Law 102–383 ; 106 Stat. 1448) (referred to in this section as the Act ), which reaffirms that The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, beginning on July 1, 1997, will continue to enjoy a high degree of autonomy on all matters other than defense and foreign affairs. . The Act furthermore states that 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. .
Pursuant to section 301 of the Act ( 22 U.S.C. 5731 ), the annual report issued by the Department of State on developments in Hong Kong (referred to in this section as the Report ), released on March 21, 2019, states that Cooperation between the United States Government and the Hong Kong government remains broad and effective in many areas, providing significant benefits to the United States economy and homeland security. . The Report states that the Chinese mainland central government implemented or instigated a number of actions that appeared inconsistent with China’s commitments in the Basic Law, and in the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, to allow Hong Kong to exercise a high degree of autonomy. .
The Report furthermore states that the Hong Kong authorities took actions aligned with mainland priorities at the expense of human rights and fundamental freedoms. There were particular setbacks in democratic electoral processes, freedom of expression, and freedom of association. . On June 10, 2019, the spokesporson for the Department of State issued a statement expressing grave concern about the Hong Kong government’s proposed amendments to its Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, which, if passed, would permit Chinese authorities to request the extradition of individuals to mainland China. .
According to media reports, in June 2019, over 1,000,000 residents of Hong Kong have taken part in demonstrations against the proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance. It is the sense of Congress that— the government of the People’s Republic of China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China authorities should immediately cease taking all actions that undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy and negatively impact the protections of fundamental human rights, freedoms, and democratic values of the people of Hong Kong, as enshrined in the Act, Hong Kong’s Basic Law of 1997, and the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984; the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China authorities should immediately withdraw from consideration the proposed amendments to its Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and refrain from any unwarranted use of force against the protestors that is inconsistent with internationally recognized law enforcement best practices; and the United States should impose financial sanctions, visa bans, and other punitive economic measures against all individuals or entities violating the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong, consistent with United States and international law.
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- Pub. L. 102-383
- 106 Stat. 1448
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Sec. 6209
Sense of Congress on policy toward Hong Kong
Pub. L.Pub. L. 102-383
Stat.106 Stat. 1448
Cites 3Cited by 0 across 0 sources