Washington—Representatives Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Michael T. McCaul, the Committee’s Ranking Member, yesterday introduced bipartisan legislation condemning Beijing for ramming through a new national security law in Hong Kong. The House measure denounces the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to fundamentally alter Hong Kong’s autonomy and undermine the basic rights and freedoms Hong Kongers are promised under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong’s Basic Law.
“Beijing’s National Security Law will upend the ‘one country, two systems’ framework. It’s the culmination of Xi Jinping’s years-long assault on Hong Kong’s democratic freedoms and autonomy,” said Chairman Engel. “Time after time, Congress has stepped in to support Hong Kong and push back on Beijing’s aggression. Last year, we passed legislation with overwhelming bipartisan support giving the President and his Administration a set of strong policy tools to hold Beijing accountable. We hope the Administration will use these options immediately. The measure we’re introducing today again sends the message that Congress condemns Beijing’s actions as violation of international law, and continues to stand with Hong Kong—and we will continue to encourage this Administration and all of our allies and partners around the world to do the same.”
“The Chinese Communist Party’s dystopian ‘national security’ law, enacted earlier this week by their sham legislature, is a brazen violation of international law and ends the ‘one country, two systems’ principle and Hong Kong’s autonomy,” stated Ranking Member McCaul. “By brutally suppressing democracy in Hong Kong, the CCP is challenging the underlying assumptions that have guided the world since the end of the Cold War. The United States will continue to be unwavering in our support of Hong Kongers seeking freedom from the CCP’s tyrannical oppression.”
The lawmakers introduced this resolution denouncing Beijing’s assault on Hong Kong’s autonomy with Jim McGovern (D-MA), Ami Bera (D-CA), Ted Yoho (R-FL), and Tom Malinowski (D-NJ).
Full text of House Resolution 1033 can be found here.
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