The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday (Dec. 7) passed the Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act, which would provide asylum to people in Hong Kong who have been politically oppressed. The bill will then be sent to the Senate for a vote, and a number of senators from both parties have told VOA that they are willing to fully support the bill, even though time is running out.
The Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act will be voted on by the full House of Representatives on Monday. The bill was passed quickly and unanimously by both the Democratic and Republican parties. This represents a major step forward in the completion of the legislative process. The bill will next be sent to the Senate, where it will pass both houses of Congress before being sent to the White House for the President’s signature.
Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), who co-sponsored the bill with Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), said in a statement at Monday’s session that providing asylum to persecuted Hong Kongers is a humanitarian act.
“That’s what this bill would do, we would provide temporary asylum to Hong Kongers already in the United States, we would expedite refugee claims for Hong Kongers who are fleeing persecution. So it’s a humanitarian action,” said Rep. Malinowski, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor at the State Department, “but it’s actually much more than a humanitarian action. It’s the best way to stop China from destroying Hong Kong. “
Beijing authorities made a big move last week to settle scores with a number of Hong Kong pro-democracy activists. Former Hong Kong pro-democracy activists Wong Chi-fung, Lam Long-yen and Chow Ting were recently sentenced to 7-13.5 months in jail for “inciting others to participate in an illegal assembly” and the founder of Next Media, Lai Chi-ying, was charged with fraud and denied bail and remanded in custody until next April.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the chief Republican member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also noted in his remarks that these crackdowns were the catalyst for urging the United States to act quickly.
“Last week we learned that activist Huang Zhifeng was sentenced to 13 months in prison simply because he demanded the freedom he was promised, and that other activists, Zhou Ting and Lin Langyan, were also sentenced to 10 months in prison. This is the true face of the Chinese Communist Party, an enemy of freedom and a brutal oppressor of its own people,” McCall said.
Bill to Provide Temporary Protected Status to Hong Kong Residents in U.S. Expedites Refugee Processing for Hong Kong Residents
Under H.R. 8428, the Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act, the U.S. government would provide “Temporary Protected Status” to Hong Kong residents who are currently in the United States on visas and who may face political persecution if they return to Hong Kong. The bill would also expedite the processing of refugee applications for Hong Kong residents fleeing political persecution in the United States and exclude this category from the overall annual U.S. refugee admissions limit.
In addition, even if the U.S. were to withdraw some or all of Hong Kong’s special economic and trade status treatment, the bill would distinguish Hong Kong from mainland China in the category of immigration policy. The bill would also promote international cooperation, particularly by encouraging like-minded allies to provide asylum to Hong Kongers oppressed by Beijing.
Time is running out. Bipartisan members of the Senate expressed strong support for the bill.
Despite its successful passage in the House, the bill must be passed by the Senate before the Christmas holiday recess, i.e., by December 18, before it can be formally sent to the White House for the President’s signature.
With the current Senate agenda, it is still difficult for a bill to be cleared by the Senate before the year-end recess.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), a Republican federal senator who has been pushing the bill on the Senate side, told VOA that the quickest way to get the bill passed is to get a no-objection vote.
“One of those procedures that would have to be followed at this stage to pass the bill would be for it to pass without anyone objecting to it, directly without objection,” said Senator Rubio, who is also acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and co-chairman of the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC). “There’s still hope (for passage), but obviously the timing is very much against us.”
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the lead Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, told VOA after the House passed the bill that he would support it if it had a chance to be sent to the floor for a vote before the end of the Senate’s agenda.
“We’re running out of time, and at this point this really has to pass unopposed in order to move forward,” Senator Menendez said. “Of course, I’ve never been sure where President Trump stands on immigration, and even on a very reasonable bill like this, I’m not sure that the administration or the Republican Party is going to support it. Will the members support it, but if it does get sent to the House for a vote, I will definitely support it.”
“We’re sending a strong message that we support democratic demands,” Menendez told VOA.
As the foreign policy leader of Senate Democrats, Menendez has often worked with Republicans on China-related issues in Congress, including supporting human rights demands for Muslims from the Uighur minority in Xinjiang and Tibet, introducing several cross-party bills to support Taiwan’s international space, and speaking out for protesters for freedom and democracy in Hong Kong.
“It is amazing that at this time of the century, we are talking about a society that has gone from being extremely dynamic, free and open, self-governing and aware of the aspirations of its people, to us talking about them becoming refugees. It’s an amazing turn of events, a sad turn of events,” Menendez told VOA.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), a Republican federal senator who advocates tough policies on China, responded to the VOA interview by saying that she would support policies that protect Hong Kongers from Beijing’s oppression as long as the bill makes it to the Senate floor.
“We’re very concerned about what’s going on in Hong Kong, we’re very concerned about the freedom fighters in Hong Kong and how the Chinese Communist Party is treating them and persecuting them,” Blackburn said. “We’ll be aware of what the bill is that the House sends over, and we look forward to making sure that we have protections for the Chinese Communist Party. Accountability.”
“Yes, I will support the bill,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, told VOA after learning that the bill had advanced in the House. However, Shaheen mentioned that time is running out and she is unsure if the Senate will have a chance to vote on the bill before the end of the session.
U.S. Department of State Announces New Sanctions Against Top Chinese Officials
On the same day that the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act, which provides protections for the people of Hong Kong, the State Department issued a statement announcing sanctions against 14 vice-chairmen of the Communist Party-controlled Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) for their role in the NPC Standing Committee’s earlier resolution disqualifying four democratically elected members of the Hong Kong Legislative Council.
The U.S. government sanctioned the Chinese officials following months of U.S. sanctions against senior Chinese and Hong Kong officials over Beijing’s push for a “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law” in Hong Kong. Those sanctioned this time are all NPC Vice Chairmen, including Wang Chen, Cao Jianming, Zhang Chunxian, Shen Yueyue, Ji Bingxuan, Aleksei Imin Bahai, Wan E Xiang, Chen Zhu, Wang Dongming, Baimachalin, Ding Zhongli, Hao Mingjin, Cai Dafeng, and Wu Weihua.
In a statement released by Secretary of State Pompeo, the sanctioned individuals and their families will not be allowed to come to the United States, their assets that are subject to U.S. jurisdiction or owned or controlled by U.S. persons will be blocked, and U.S. persons will be prohibited from having any dealings with them.
Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted his support for the administration’s decision.
“I am pleased to see a new round of sanctions against Chinese Communist Party officials for their actions undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy,” Chairman Risch tweeted, “Beijing must know that there is a price to pay for its actions. The people of Hong Kong deserve better.”
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