H. Res. 543 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

October 15, 2019. 

This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Stand with Hong Kong 

Resolution’’. 

Whereas the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 

(Public Law 102–383) states— 

(1) ‘‘[s]upport for democratization is a fundamental 

principle of United States foreign policy’’; 

(2) ‘‘the human rights of the people of Hong Kong 

are of great importance to the United States and are directly relevant to United States interests in Hong Kong 

[and] serve as a basis for Hong Kong’s continued economic prosperity’’; and 

(3) ‘‘Hong Kong must remain sufficiently autonomous from the People’s Republic of China to justify a 

different treatment than accorded to the People’s Republic of China under United States law’’; 

Whereas the United States maintains substantial economic 

and political interests in Hong Kong, with more than 

1,200 United States firms operating in the Special Administrative Region, due largely to Hong Kong’s strong 

business environment, predicated on respect for the rule 

of law and an independent judiciary; 

Whereas the United States supports Hong Kong’s ‘‘high degree of autonomy’’ promised by the Joint Declaration be-
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tween 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 (‘‘Joint Declaration’’) in accordance with the ‘‘One Country, Two 

Systems’’ framework through bilateral agreements, the 

promotion of trade and investment, and the bolstering of 

educational, academic, and cultural links; 

Whereas the Department of State reported in its 2019 Hong 

Kong Policy Act Report, dated March 21, 2019, that the 

People’s Republic of China has carried out a number of 

actions inconsistent with China’s commitments in the 

Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (‘‘Basic Law’’) and the Joint Declaration, which 

have diminished Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy; 

Whereas China has increasingly constrained Hong Kong’s 

freedoms in violation of the ‘‘One Country, Two Systems’’ framework by, among other actions, supporting 

the restriction of entry into Hong Kong for individuals 

critical of the Communist Party of China, instructing to 

the Hong Kong Government to refuse a United States 

extradition request in May 2018, and abusing the national security rationale to justify interference with matters related to Hong Kong politics and governance; 

Whereas on April 3, 2019, the Government of Hong Kong introduced the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) 

Bill 2019 (commonly known as the ‘‘extradition bill’’) 

that would amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance by 

expanding the existing extradition arrangement to include 

mainland China, allowing for the handover of any persons 

in the territory of Hong Kong, residents and non-residents, as well as any materials in their possession; 
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Whereas the Department of State issued a statement on June 

9, 2019, warning that the lack of procedural protections 

in the bill could negatively impact Hong Kong’s longstanding protections of human rights, fundamental freedoms, and democratic values; 

Whereas on June 9, 2019, as many as 1,000,000 people protested against the bill, and on June 12, 2019, tens of 

thousands staged a protest near the Legislative Council 

building to express opposition to the bill; 

Whereas on June 12, 2019, the Government of Hong Kong 

took advantage of the acts of a small group of protesters 

to classify the largely peaceful protest as an unlawful assembly and a ‘‘riot’’, a charge that can result in a prison 

sentence of up to 10 years for those who were arrested; 

Whereas the police’s excessive use of force on June 12, 2019, 

as seen in video footage, to disperse the protestors, including the use of tear gas, bean bag rounds, rubber bullets, batons, and pepper spray, caused severe injuries to 

protesters; 

Whereas the excessive use of force fueled tensions and contributed to the worsening of violence; 

Whereas on June 16, 2019, as many as 2,000,000 people 

peacefully gathered in the Admiralty district, which is 

likely the largest protest in Hong Kong’s history; 

Whereas on July 21, 2019, a group alleged to be linked to 

organized crime violently attacked protestors, innocent 

bystanders, and journalists with sticks and metal bars in 

Yuen Long, which resulted in the hospitalization of fortyfive people, with one person in critical condition; 

Whereas the Hong Kong Police Force have been slow to take 

meaningful action against those who attacked the 
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protestors on July 21, 2019, suggesting the police may 

be complicit in their actions; 

Whereas the protestors’ demands included— 

(1) the complete withdrawal of the extradition bill; 

(2) the implementation of universal suffrage in the 

election of the Chief Executive and all members the Legislative Council; 

(3) the establishment of an independent commission 

to investigate police conduct during the protests; 

(4) the declassification of the protests as a riots; and 

(5) the dropping of all charges against persons who 

participated in any protests; 

Whereas on July 27, 2019, nine people were injured when police fired rubber bullets at demonstrators in Yuen Long 

who were protesting the July 21 violent attacks against 

protestors and the lack of a police response to them; 

Whereas on July 29, 2019, China’s spokesman for the State 

Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office issued a 

statement referring to the protesters as ‘‘radical elements 

committing evil and criminal acts’’; 

Whereas on July 30, 2019, China’s Foreign Ministry falsely 

claimed that the pro-democracy protests are the ‘‘work of 

the United States’’, alleging that American officials have 

interfered in Hong Kong’s internal affairs; 

Whereas the Chinese Communist Party has called the protests ‘‘absolutely intolerable’’, ‘‘terrorism’’, and ‘‘terror 

atrocities’’, raising fears that China may use the People’s 

Liberation Army or the People’s Armed Police to violently suppress the protestors; 

Whereas on August 5, 2019, teachers, aviation workers, finance employees, and civil servants went on strike across 
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seven districts, the largest citywide strike in decades, 

which evolved into a wave of demonstrations and resulted 

in the police firing approximately 800 tear gas rounds to 

clear the protestors, almost as many as were used in the 

previous 8 weeks combined; 

Whereas on August 5, 2019, a mob violently attacked demonstrators with sticks and metal bars in North Point 

after the demonstrators were dispersed by police from the 

Admiralty district, and again the police did not respond 

to the ambush; 

Whereas on August 6, 2019, a Chinese Communist Party official threatened the demonstrators by stating, ‘‘those 

who play with fire will perish by it’’, and ‘‘as for their 

[the demonstrators’] punishment, it’s only a matter of 

time’’; 

Whereas on August 7, 2019, Chinese state media began publishing articles accusing the Political Counselor to the 

United States Consulate General in Hong Kong of being 

‘‘a black hand creating chaos in Hong Kong’’, as well as 

publicly identifying family members of the Consulate 

General staff; 

Whereas on August 11, 2019, Hong Kong police beat fleeing 

protesters with batons and fired pepper ball rounds at 

them at close range; 

Whereas on August 11, 2019, it was reported that a young 

woman, allegedly a medic, who has since become a symbol for the protest movement, sustained a serious eye injury from a bean-bag round after the police fired a projectile into the crowd; 
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Whereas on August 18, 2019, as many as 1,700,000 Hong 

Kong people attended a peaceful rally against police brutality; 

Whereas on August 31, 2019, Hong Kong Police Force Special Tactical Squad officers beat with batons protesters 

and train passengers at Prince Edward station; and 

Whereas on September 4, 2019, Hong Kong Chief Executive 

Carrie Lam announced the Government would withdraw 

the extradition bill from the Legislative Council’s agenda 

when it reconvenes in October 2019: Now, therefore, be 

it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) calls on the Government of Hong Kong to begin 

negotiations to address the demonstrators’ remaining demands, which include— 

(A) the formal withdrawal of the bill from the 

Hong Kong Legislative Council; 

(B) the implementation of universal suffrage; 

(C) the establishment of an independent investigation into police conduct during the protests; 

(D) the declassification of the protest as a riot; 

and 

(E) the dropping of all charges against persons 

arrested during the protests; 

(2) condemns— 

(A) the Hong Kong police’s use of force 

against the demonstrators in ways that are incon-
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sistent with international standards for the use of 

such equipment and in violation of citizens’ rights 

to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly; and 

(B) the Hong Kong Government for tolerating 

the use of violent force against protesters by police; 

(3) calls on the Administration to review the appropriateness of sales by United States firms of munitions 

and crowd-control equipment to Hong Kong, to ensure 

that they are not used to repress peaceful protests; 

(4) condemns efforts by the Hong Kong and Chinese Governments to characterize the protests as ‘‘riots’’ 

and to falsely accuse the United States of orchestrating 

political instability that they alone created; 

(5) shares the concerns of the people of Hong Kong 

that the Hong Kong Government’s proposed amendments to the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, if adopted, 

would negatively impact the territory’s long-standing 

protections of human rights, fundamental freedoms, and 

democratic values as enshrined in the Basic Law and the 

Sino-British Joint Declaration; 

(6) recognizes that the ‘‘One Country, Two Systems’’ framework and the Basic Law require that Hong 

Kong is afforded a high degree of autonomy with respect 

to economic and trade matters and the rule of law; 
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(7) condemns Chinese state media for targeting 

staff and family members of the United States Consulate 

General in Hong Kong; 

(8) calls on the Government of Hong Kong and all 

governments— 

(A) to protect the rights of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly; 

(B) to condemn all acts of violence against 

those seeking to further their democratic rights; 

and 

(C) to refrain from the use of violence; and 

(9) calls on the Government of Hong Kong and the 

Government of China to abide by the provisions of the 

Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. 

Attest: 

Clerk.