In a recent meeting held by the “Special Committee on China Issues in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Hong Kong democracy activists stated that the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office has become a branch of the Chinese Communist Party. Multiple Hong Kong advocates and activists urged the U.S. Congress to expeditiously pass legislative measures to shut down the three Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices currently functioning in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and New York City.
According to Voice of America, the House Committee on China Issues convened a roundtable discussion on Thursday, May 23, inviting various Hong Kong advocates and activists to participate. Among the participants were XU Yingting, Policy Director of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation (CFHK), Hong Kong democracy activist Joey Sui, and Jonathan Price, a member of the legal team representing Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
Xu Yingting stated that the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office has become a propaganda arm of the Chinese authorities, emphasizing that since Hong Kong no longer maintains autonomy distinct from China, the Chinese Communist Party should not have two diplomatic representative offices in the United States.
Furthermore, Joey Sui also asserted that the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office has transformed into a branch of the Chinese Communist Party, labeling them as tools of propaganda and overseas police for the Hong Kong government, monitoring and tracking Hong Kong activists and American citizens.
Participants at the discussion session unanimously called on the U.S. Congress to take action, including passing the “Hong Kong Economic Trade Office Certification Act,” currently under consideration.
Xu Yingting and Joey Sui, both on the wanted list by the Hong Kong government, are accused of inciting separatism, subversion, and collusion with foreign forces. Joey Sui is an American citizen born in the United States.
The bill requires the U.S. executive branch to certify within 30 days of the bill’s enactment whether the three Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices in Washington, New York, and San Francisco are deserving of the extensions of privileges, exceptions, and waivers they currently enjoy. If the U.S. government determines that these offices should no longer have such diplomatic treatment, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices will cease operations within 180 days.
Committee Chairman John Moolenaar, a Republican federal representative from Michigan, expressed during the meeting why Americans should care about Hong Kong and be concerned about the actions of the Chinese Communist Party. He emphasized that the freedom and autonomy of Hong Kong are being suppressed by Beijing authorities, which relates to core values of the United States.
Raja Krishnamoorthi, the chief Democratic federal representative from Illinois and a member of the committee, also strongly criticized Beijing authorities in his opening statement for violating their commitments to Hong Kong.
Leaders from both parties of the committee mentioned the controversial Hong Kong National Security Law. In 2020, Beijing began imposing the Hong Kong national security law, leading to the suppression and closure of civil society groups and news media outlets, raising concerns about the gradual restriction of Hong Kong’s free society. However, the Hong Kong government’s tightening of social space didn’t stop there.
In March of this year, the Hong Kong Legislative Council swiftly passed another significant national security law known as the “National Security Law.” This legislation, derived from Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law, aims to combat offenses such as “secession, subversion, incitement to subversion, theft of state secrets, espionage, sabotage, and foreign interference.” Those accused under this law, if found guilty, can face a minimum of seven years imprisonment and up to life imprisonment.
The passage of this Hong Kong “Article 23” legislation once again sparked concerns from the international community about the territory government wielding the national security club under Beijing’s mandate to further restrict Hong Kong’s freedom.
Moolenaar mentioned that the purpose of convening this meeting was to continue raising awareness across various sectors about the current situation in Hong Kong.