US Officials Write Letter to Pompeo

On April 28, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio, Ben Cardin, Jim Risch, and Bob Menendez, and Representatives James McGovern, Chris Smith, Eliot Engel, and Michael McCaul, sent a letter urging Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to fully implement the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. The members expressed in the letter, that Hong Kong’s situation had been deteriorating in recent months, and the Chinese Communist Party had been continuing to accelerate its efforts to undermine Hong Kong’s economy and the rule of law. On April 18, the Hong Kong police arrested 15 democracy activists, including prominent lawyer Martin Lee; former member of Hong Kong Legislative Council, Margaret Ng; Founder of Apple Daily, a Hong Kong based newspaper, Jimmy Lai, etc. Luo Huining, the Director of the Liason Office made a statement before the arrest, which outsiders conceive as an act to re-advocate for Article 23 legislation. The members wrote in a letter: “CCP officials are advocating for Article 23 legislation, which would further restrict freedom and autonomy in service of Beijing’s definition of national security”. “Hong Kong’s future is of great importance to the United States and to the international community. Failing to address Beijing’s efforts to erode Hong Kong’s autonomy will undermine the freedom and human rights of its people, its valuable role as a partner to the United States, and its unique role in the international economy.” Last year, President Trump signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. The passage of the bill requires the U.S. Secretary of State to issue an annual certification of Hong Kong’s autonomy to justify special treatment afforded to Hong Kong by the U.S.