On Tuesday evening (September 10), the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill demanding the revocation of privileges for the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in the United States, prompting dissatisfaction from the Hong Kong government.
After a six-week recess, the U.S. Congress reconvened this Monday, with the House of Representatives beginning a session to vote on a series of anti-Communist bills. Following the passage of multiple anti-Communist bills on Monday, on Tuesday, both parties jointly passed the “Hong Kong Economic Trade Office Certification Act,” which allows the U.S. President to revoke the privileges, exceptions, and exemptions enjoyed by the Hong Kong trade offices in Washington D.C., New York, and San Francisco if they are not operating with “a high degree of autonomy” or are used for other purposes.
According to the bill, if the U.S. government certifies that these three Hong Kong trade offices should no longer enjoy such diplomatic treatment, they will cease operations within 180 days; if the U.S. government believes that the Hong Kong trade offices can continue to enjoy these diplomatic privileges, they will be allowed to operate for an additional year or until the next evaluation.
On Tuesday, the bill passed with an overwhelming majority of 413 votes to 3. The bill was jointly proposed by Republican Congressman Chris Smith, Chairman of the China Commission of the U.S. Congress and Democrat Federal Congressman Jim McGovern from Massachusetts, marking the first legislative action by the U.S. Congress regarding Hong Kong after the city passed a stricter national security law earlier this year.
During a hearing on Tuesday, Smith stated that the bill is the “next necessary step to clearly demonstrate our solidarity with the persecuted citizens of Hong Kong,” including media tycoon Jimmy Lai, activist Joshua Wong, and human rights lawyer Chow Hang-tung who are imprisoned.
Chief Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks from New York also urged bipartisan support for the bill ahead of the vote on Monday. “As China tightens its grip on Hong Kong’s political and governance system, why should we treat Hong Kong differently from China?” he asked. “Hong Kong is no longer a bastion of rule of law, no longer a place of political freedom, no longer a place for free expression.”
“These offices are propaganda arms of Beijing in the U.S., undermining Hong Kong’s freedom, and suppressing the truth,” Smith said on Monday.
The bill must be passed by the U.S. Senate before it can be sent to President Biden for signing into law. The Senate version of the bill was proposed by Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley.
According to Reuters, Anna Kwok, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council (HKDC), stated that the bill is an urgent response to holding the Hong Kong government accountable for its blatant human rights violations. She mentioned that in 2019, Hong Kong saw months of pro-democracy protests sparked by the extradition bill, which was followed by Beijing’s national security law in 2020. In March of this year, Hong Kong passed another new national security law, known as Article 23.
On Wednesday local time, the Hong Kong government strongly condemned the passage of the bill, claiming that the U.S. House of Representatives’ attack on Hong Kong with distorted facts was politically motivated interference in Hong Kong affairs.
Currently, the Hong Kong government has 14 overseas economic and trade offices worldwide, with 3 located in the United States.
On May 30, 2022, three judges designated under the National Security Law in Hong Kong convicted 14 pro-democracy figures of “conspiracy to subvert state power,” sparking strong condemnation from European and Australian governments, U.S. Senators, and human rights groups. In response on May 31, the U.S. State Department announced new visa restrictions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials, condemning the rulings as politically motivated and urging Hong Kong authorities to release the detainees immediately.
The enactment of Article 23 by the Hong Kong government on March 22 was criticized by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as further infringing on the rights and freedoms of the people of Hong Kong, with broad implications for Hong Kong residents and American citizens and companies operating in Hong Kong.
On July 10, the White House announced the extension of the “national emergency” status declared by President Biden concerning the situation in Hong Kong, revoking Hong Kong’s special trade status. This marked the fourth extension of the national emergency status by the U.S. government with regards to Hong Kong.
According to the Hong Kong Security Bureau, over 300 people have been arrested under the National Security Law.
(This article was adapted from reporting by Reuters.)