The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution Monday (April 19) condemning Beijing for undermining freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong. The cross-party leaders of the House and Senate in Congress coincidentally spoke out one after another, saying they will continue to support Hong Kong’s efforts and aspirations for democracy. “The United States will be laser-focused on holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable and supporting Hong Kong’s efforts to uphold the rule of law and freedom,” House Speaker Pelosi (said.
“In Congress, democracy in Hong Kong has always had bipartisan, bicameral support, in the House and the Senate, from Democrats and Republicans alike,” Pelosi said Monday via video message as she participated in the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council’s (HKDC Pelosi said Monday via video message at the annual meeting of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democratic Council (HKDC) on policy.
Pelosi went on to say, “The United States will remain laser-focused on holding the Chinese Communist Party accountable and supporting Hong Kong’s efforts to maintain the rule of law and freedom of speech. And I have repeatedly conveyed to president after president that Hong Kong is a bipartisan consensus in both houses of Congress.”
The three-day annual policy conference of the Hong Kong Democratic Commission began Monday with a number of prominent Hong Kong activists in exile invited to participate in discussions. As a guest of honor on the first day of the event, Pelosi emphasized at the meeting that U.S. actions in support of Hong Kong will include continued legislative push, enhanced cooperation with the international community, and continued strong advocacy for human rights in China.
On the same day, the House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning the Beijing authorities and the Hong Kong government for their ongoing destruction of freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong. The resolution also encourages the Biden administration to continue to impose sanctions on Communist Party authorities and officials, and to provide protection for Hong Kong residents who fear persecution, among other measures.
Resolution No. 130 passed the House Monday with an overwhelming 418 votes in favor and one vote against. Speaking before the House took a vote, Pelosi said, “If we don’t speak out for human rights in China because of business interests, then we lose all moral authority to speak out for human rights anywhere in the world.”
“We can’t let economic interests cloud our morality and justice,” Pelosi, who has repeatedly spoken out for activists fighting for democracy in Hong Kong, continued, “I support an overwhelming vote to pass this resolution, demonstrating the continued bipartisan and bicameral efforts of Congress to support the people of Hong Kong as a response to Beijing’s abuse of the law.”
In Washington politics, where partisan positions are deeply divided, a high degree of bipartisan consensus has coalesced in Congress on issues related to the Chinese Communist Party. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), the ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who spoke immediately after Pelosi, echoed Pelosi’s statement.
“The unbridled oppression of the people of Hong Kong by the Chinese Communist Party is not a Republican or Democratic issue. As Americans, we stand united alongside the people of Hong Kong,” McCall said in his address to the House meeting, “The pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong has inspired people around the world to fight for freedom and against tyranny.”
McCall further harshly criticized the “Hong Kong version of the National Security Law” that was forced through and implemented by Beijing and Hong Kong authorities last year.
“Last June, the Chinese Communist Party used its sham legislature to implement the anti-utopian ‘National Security Law’ in Hong Kong,” McCall said, “a law that criminalizes basic civil liberties, violates China’s treaty commitments, destroys Hong Kong’s one-country, two-system model of autonomy, and implants the Chinese Communist Party as a police state in Hong Kong to suppress dissidents. Since the law was passed, the CCP has purged the government of pro-democracy legislators while eliminating the CCP’s political enemies.”
Nine of Hong Kong’s leading democracy advocates were sentenced last Friday (April 16) to prison terms ranging from eight to 18 months, including Lee Chu-ming, the 82-year-old founding chairman of the Democratic Party, who is known as the “father of democracy” in Hong Kong, and Lai Chi-ying, the 72-year-old founder of One Media. Three members of the legal profession, Martin Lee, Ng Yau Yee and Albert Ho, received suspended sentences of two years; former legislator Leung Yiu-chung received a one-year suspended sentence.
The United States and the European Union subsequently issued statements condemning this. A spokesman for the UN Secretary General also stressed that there should be no prisoners of conscience in the 21st century.
In a written statement issued immediately after the verdict, U.S. Secretary of State John Blinken condemned the sentences handed down by the Hong Kong court to pro-democracy activists, including Media One founder Lai Chi-ying and Democratic Party founding chairman Lee Chu-ming. He said the charges were “politically motivated.
“Beijing and the Hong Kong authorities have targeted Hong Kong people for doing nothing more than exercising their protected rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” he said in a statement.
The EU also noted in the statement that these developments in Hong Kong undermine trust, affect the EU’s relations with China and raise doubts about China’s willingness to meet its international commitments.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made a point of speaking about the Hong Kong verdict in his address to the chamber on Monday.
“Nine of Hong Kong’s most committed democracy advocates have been sentenced to heavy prison terms for their crimes. It was encouraging more than a million people to take to the streets in August 2019 to protest peacefully in support of fundamental freedoms,” McConnell said.
“This is not the first time that Beijing’s dictatorship, which is extremely sensitive to criticism, has hit the people of Hong Kong, and unfortunately, it won’t be the last.”
McConnell also accused Beijing of having the wrong target for its emphasis on “patriots ruling Hong Kong.”
“Yes, the Chinese Communist Party is right that true patriots should speak out and lead Hong Kong, but they’re just mistaken about who the true patriots are,” McConnell continued at the House meeting.
“The real patriots of Hong Kong are my friends Lai Chi-ying and Lee Chu-ming, who risked their own safety to defend democracy. The true patriots are the tens of thousands of peaceful protesters who continue to fight despite the imprisonment of their fellow partners.”
McConnell called on the Biden administration to take a tougher stance in dealing with the Chinese Communist Party, “while assuring our friends in Hong Kong that we will stand by them.”
In addition to this, legislative measures of interest to provide asylum protection for Hong Kong residents are expected to go before a Senate committee this week. The Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act, which would provide refugee asylum to Hong Kong residents who are oppressed and threatened, will be included in the SCA for discussion on Wednesday in the form of an amendment.
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