Sec. 3. Findings

426 words·~2 min read·/bill/116/s/4229/is/section-3

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Congress finds the following: The NPC has committed to pass national security legislation which, if enacted, would— contravene the will of the people of Hong Kong whose constitution, the Basic Law, provides in Article 23 that the Legislative Council of Hong Kong shall enact legislation related to national security; violate the PRC’s commitments under international law, as defined by the Sino-British Joint Declaration; and cause severe and irreparable damage to the “one country, two systems” principle and further erode global confidence in the PRC’s commitment to international law.

The United States has a long and proud history as a destination for refugees and asylees fleeing persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. The United States also shares deep social, cultural, and economic ties with the people of Hong Kong, including a shared commitment to democracy, to the rule of law, and to the protection of human rights. The United States has sheltered, protected, and welcomed individuals who have fled oppression of authoritarian regimes, including citizens from the PRC following the violent June 4, 1989, crackdown in Tiananmen Square, which has deepened ties between the people of the United States and individuals, regardless of nationality, who are seeking to contribute to a free, open society founded on respect for the rule of law.

The United States has reaped enormous economic, cultural, and strategic benefits from welcoming successive generations of scientists, doctors, entrepreneurs, artists, intellectuals, and other freedom-loving people fleeing Fascism, Communism, violent Islamist extremism, and other repressive ideologies, including Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Soviet-controlled Central Europe, Cuba, Vietnam, and Iran. Offering prospective refuge to the people who have contributed the most to Hong Kong’s success would signal to the Chinese Communist Party that repression in Hong Kong would result in losing some of its immense wealth and talent to the United States.

A mid-2020 Brookings report states, Chinese officials see the United States’ continued ability to attract and retain Chinese talent as a serious impediment to their technological ambitions . A 2009 report published in Issues in Science and Technology states, competition for [science and technology] brainpower . . . will become one of the key defining features of the West’s interactions with the PRC over the coming decades . A major asymmetric advantage for the United States in its long-term, strategic competition with the Communist Party of China is the ability of people from every country in the world, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or religion, to immigrate to the United States and become United States citizens.