IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 422 

Urging adherence to the ‘‘one country, two systems’’ policy as prescribed 

in the Joint Declaration between the Government of the United Kingdom 

of Great Britain and the Government of the People’s Republic of China 

on the Question of the Hong Kong. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 29, 2017 

Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. YOHO, and Mr. 

SMITH of New Jersey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Urging adherence to the ‘‘one country, two systems’’ policy 

as prescribed in the Joint Declaration between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and 

the Government of the People’s Republic of China on 

the Question of the Hong Kong. 

Whereas the People’s Republic of China assumed the exercise 

of sovereignty over the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 20 years ago, on July 1, 1997; 

Whereas the Joint Declaration between the Government of 

the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Question 

of the Hong Kong (in this resolution referred to as the 

‘‘Joint Declaration’’) required China’s National People’s 


SSpencer on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HRES 422 IH 

Congress (NPC) to pass the ‘‘Basic Law of the Hong 

Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China’’ (in this resolution referred to as the 

‘‘Basic Law’’) consistent with the obligations contained in 

the Joint Declaration, which was approved by the NPC 

on April 4, 1990; 

Whereas relations between the United States and Hong Kong 

are fundamentally based upon the continued maintenance 

of the ‘‘one country, two systems’’ policy stipulated in the 

United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 (Public 

Law 102–383; 22 U.S.C. 5701 et seq.) and established 

by the Joint Declaration; 

Whereas under the ‘‘one country, two systems’’ policy established by the Joint Declaration, Hong Kong ‘‘will enjoy 

a high degree of autonomy except in foreign and defense 

affairs’’ and ‘‘will be vested with executive, legislative and 

independent judicial power including that of final adjudication’’; 

Whereas Hong Kong’s autonomy under the ‘‘one country, two 

systems’’ policy, as demonstrated by its highly developed 

rule of law, independent judiciary, and respect for the 

rights of individuals, has continued to make Hong Kong 

the preferred residence for over 85,000 United States 

citizens, and at least 1,400 United States businesses operate in Hong Kong; 

Whereas the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law declare 

that the lifestyle and social and economic systems in 

Hong Kong will remain unchanged for 50 years after the 

1997 reversion; 

Whereas the Basic Law guarantees Hong Kong residents the 

freedoms of speech, press, publication, association, asVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:00 Jun 30, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR422.IH HR422

SSpencer on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HRES 422 IH 

sembly, demonstration, religious belief and activity, academic research, and the rights to form unions and to 

strike, among others; 

Whereas the Basic Law also guarantees Hong Kong residents 

the right to vote and to stand for election; 

Whereas although the Basic Law states that ‘‘the ultimate 

aim is the selection of the Chief Executive by universal 

suffrage upon nomination by a broadly representative 

nominating committee in accordance with democratic procedures’’, the actual process for nominating eligible Chief 

Executive candidates remains heavily influenced by the 

Government of China; 

Whereas widespread frustration with the lack of progress toward a democratic selection of candidates for Chief Executive provoked large-scale public demonstrations in late 

2014, popularly known as the ‘‘Umbrella Movement’’, 

that involved hundreds of thousands of demonstrators 

and the occupation of certain public spaces for as long 

as 79 days; 

Whereas, although Hong Kong continues to enjoy high levels 

of economic freedom and judicial independence, certain 

recent actions by the Government of China are inconsistent with its stated commitments to Hong Kong’s high 

degree of autonomy and the preservation of the rule of 

law; 

Whereas international press reported that from October 

through December 2015, four employees of Might Current publishing house and its affiliated bookstore, Causeway Bay Books, a Hong Kong seller of publications critical of Chinese leadership, disappeared under suspicious 

circumstances from Hong Kong, Thailand, and mainland 


SSpencer on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HRES 422 IH 

China, in potentially the most serious breach of the ‘‘one 

country, two systems’’ policy since 1997, which has had 

a chilling effect on the freedoms of speech and publication in Hong Kong; 

Whereas international press reported that— 

(1) Gui Minhai, a Swedish citizen and the co-owner 

of Mighty Current, was last seen in Thailand in October 

2015; 

(2) the general manager of Mighty Current, Lui Bo, 

and the business manager, Cheung Jiping, disappeared 

while on a visit to mainland China around October 2015; 

and 

(3) Lee Bo, who holds British and Chinese citizenship and is a permanent resident of Hong Kong, disappeared from Hong Kong on December 30, 2015; 

Whereas Mr. Lui, Mr. Cheung, and Mr. Lee each briefly returned to Hong Kong in March 2016 to ask Hong Kong 

police to drop their missing persons’ cases before immediately returning to mainland China; 

Whereas Lam Wing Kee, another Causeway Bay Books bookseller, testified before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China that he was detained by officials in 

Shenzhen, China on October 24, 2015, moved to a detention facility more than 1,300 miles away, and held incommunicado and subjected to ‘‘endless interrogation’’ for 

seven and one-half months, during which he was forced 

to produce multiple, coerced confessions of ‘‘selling books 

illegally’’; 

Whereas, on November 7, 2016, while the Hong Kong High 

Court was considering its final ruling to determine if the 

oaths sworn by certain Legislative Council candidates 

were in accordance with Article 104 of the Basic Law, 


SSpencer on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HRES 422 IH 

the Standing Committee of the NPC issued its own interpretation of Article 104 of the Basic Law in an attempt 

to foreclose the opportunity for the legislators-elect to retake their oaths and assume office; 

Whereas that interpretation of Article 104 by the Standing 

Committee of the NPC represented the first time it had 

issued such an interpretation while a Hong Kong judge 

was deliberating on the case in question and only the second time it had done so in the absence of a request from 

Hong Kong authorities; 

Whereas, according to the Hong Kong Bar Association, that 

preemptive interpretation was ‘‘unnecessary and inappropriate’’ and ‘‘created the impression that the [Standing 

Committee] is effectively legislating for Hong Kong, 

thereby casting doubts on the commitment of the Central 

People’s Government to abide by the principles of ‘one 

country, two systems’ ’’; and 

Whereas Hong Kong’s highly developed rule of law, independent judiciary, and respect for individual rights are 

fundamental to its way of life and economic prosperity: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes, consistent with the United 

3 States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, that— 

4 (A) Hong Kong continues to play an im5 portant role in today’s regional and world econ6 omy, with strong economic, cultural, and other 

7 ties to the United States; 


SSpencer on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HRES 422 IH 

1 (B) respect for civil liberties, open mar2 kets, rule of law, and judicial independence are 

3 all integral aspects of Hong Kong’s lifestyle and 

4 social and economic systems; and 

5 (C) the authority of the United States 

6 Government to treat Hong Kong as a non-sov7 ereign entity distinct from China, for the pur8 poses of United States laws relating to trade, fi9 nance, transportation, economic and cultural 

10 exchange, travel, law enforcement cooperation, 

11 export controls, and other matters, depends on 

12 Hong Kong remaining sufficiently autonomous; 

13 and 

14 (2) urges adherence to the ‘‘one country, two 

15 systems’’ policy established by the Joint Declaration 

16 and the Basic Law with respect to— 

17 (A) Hong Kong’s exercise of a high degree 

18 of autonomy; 

19 (B) its enjoyment of executive, legislative, 

20 and independent judicial power; and 

21 (C) the robust protection of the funda22 mental rights of Hong Kong residents guaran23 teed by Chapter III of the Basic Law. 

Æ 


SSpencer on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with BILLS