IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 543 

Recognizing Hong Kong’s bilateral relationship with the United States, condemning the interference of the People’s Republic of China in Hong 

Kong’s affairs, and supporting the people of Hong Kong’s right to 

protest. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 30, 2019 

Mr. SHERMAN (for himself, Mrs. WAGNER, Mr. CONNOLLY, and Mr. YOHO) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing Hong Kong’s bilateral relationship with the 

United States, condemning the interference of the People’s Republic of China in Hong Kong’s affairs, and 

supporting the people of Hong Kong’s right to protest. 

Whereas the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 

(Public Law 102–383) states that— 

(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 


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•HRES 543 IH 

(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 

1,300 United States firms operating in the Special Administrative Region, owing largely to Hong Kong’s favorable business environment; 

Whereas the United States supports Hong Kong’s ‘‘high degree of autonomy’’ promised by the Sino-British Joint 

Declaration of 1984 in accordance with the ‘‘one country, 

two systems’’ framework by concluding and implementing 

bilateral agreements, promoting trade and investment, 

and bolstering 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 implemented a number of 

fixed ‘‘redlines’’ inconsistent with China’s commitments 

in the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 

1984, which have diminished Hong Kong’s high degree of 

autonomy; 

Whereas the Communist Party of China has increasingly constrained Hong Kong’s freedoms in violation of the ‘‘one 

country, two systems’’ framework by supporting, among 

other actions, the banishment of the pro-independence 

Hong Kong National Party, the restriction of entry for 

individuals critical of the Communist Party of China, the 

refusal of a United States extradition request in May 

2018, and the indiscriminate disqualification of canVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:41 Aug 30, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR543.IH HR543

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didates for office due to their alleged support for Hong 

Kong self-determination; 

Whereas, on April 3, 2019, the Government of Hong Kong 

introduced a bill to amend the Fugitive Offenders and 

Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance 

laws (commonly known as the extradition bill) concerning 

extradition to expand the extradition arrangement to include mainland China, which would allow for the 

handover of any persons in the territory of Hong Kong, 

residents and nonresidents, as well as materials in their 

possession; 

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, approximately 1,000,000 people 

peacefully rallied against the bill, and on June 12, 2019, 

in Admiralty, tens of thousands staged a protest outside 

the city’s government headquarters to stop the legislators 

from moving forward with the bill; 

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

advantage of the acts of a small minority of protesters 

and classified 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, 

to disperse the protestors, including tear gas, beanbag 

rounds, rubber bullets, batons, and pepper spray, widely 

visible in video footage, fueled tensions, contributed to 


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worsening violence, and caused severe injuries to protesters; 

Whereas, on June 16, 2019, approximately 2,000,000 people 

peacefully gathered in Admiralty, equivalent to 25 percent of the population, the largest protest in Hong 

Kong’s history; 

Whereas, on July 21, 2019, a self-professed progovernment 

mob of men violently attacked protestors, innocent bystanders, and journalists with sticks and metal bars in 

Yuen Long, which resulted in the hospitalization of 45 

people, with 1 person in critical condition; 

Whereas the Royal Hong Kong Police have failed to take action against the progovernment ‘‘triad’’ gangs, suggesting 

the police may be complicit in their actions; 

Whereas the protestors’ demands include: the complete withdrawal of the bill to amend the extradition bill; the implementation of universal adult suffrage in the election of 

Chief Executive and the Legislative Council; the establishment of an independent commission to investigate 

whether police have used excessive force; the declassification of the protest as a riot; and the dropping of all 

charges against persons who did not personally engage in 

violence; 

Whereas, on July 27, 2019, 9 people were injured when police fired rubber bullets at demonstrators in Yuen Long 

who were protesting the July 21, 2019, triad gangs’ violent attacks 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 


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committing evil and criminal acts’’, and applauding the 

police for sticking to their posts; 

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

the pro-democracy protests are the ‘‘work of the United 

States’’, alleging that there had been unprecedented levels of contact between prodemocracy leaders and the 

United States; 

Whereas the Chinese Communist Party has expressed its 

‘‘strong indignation’’ and has called the protests ‘‘absolutely intolerable’’, raising fears that the Party may use 

force in an attempt to violently suppress the protestors; 

Whereas, on August 5, 2019, teachers, aviation workers, finance employees, and civil servants went on strike across 

7 districts, the largest citywide strike in decades, which 

evolved into a wave of demonstrations, and resulted in 

the police firing 800 tear gas rounds to clear the 

protestors, almost as many as were used in the previous 

8 weeks; 

Whereas, on August 5, 2019, a self-professed pro-government 

mob of men violently attacked demonstrators with sticks 

and metal bars in North Point after the demonstrators 

were dispersed by police from Admiralty, 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 that, 

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

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

of time’’; and 

Whereas, on August 7, 2019, pro-Beijing media began publishing articles accusing Julie Eadeh, the Political Counselor at the United States Consulate General in Hong 


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Kong, of subversion, as well as publicly identifying her 

husband and family: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

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

3 begin to undertake steps towards negotiations to ad4 dress the demonstrators’ 5 central demands: the 

5 complete withdrawal of the bill to amend the Fugi6 tive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in 

7 Criminal Matters Ordinance laws (commonly known 

8 as the extradition bill); the implementation of uni9 versal adult suffrage; the establishment of an inde10 pendent investigation; the declassification of the pro11 test as a riot; and the dropping of all charges 

12 against persons arrested during the protests; 

13 (2) condemns the Hong Kong police’s use of 

14 force against the demonstrations in a manner that 

15 violates citizens’ rights of freedom of expression and 

16 peaceful assembly; 

17 (3) calls on the Administration to ensure that 

18 munitions and crowd-control equipment the United 

19 States sells to the Hong Kong police aren’t used to 

20 repress peaceful protests in Hong Kong; 

21 (4) condemns the efforts by the Hong Kong 

22 and Chinese Governments to characterize the pro23 tests as ‘‘riots’’ and to blame the United States for 


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1 involvement in the political instability they alone cre2 ated; 

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

4 Kong that the lack of procedural protections in the 

5 proposed amendments to the extradition bill, which 

6 would negatively impact the territory’s longstanding 

7 protections of human rights, fundamental freedoms, 

8 and democratic values as enshrined in the Basic 

9 Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984; 

10 (6) recognizes the ‘‘one country, two systems’’ 

11 framework and the Basic Law afford Hong Kong a 

12 high degree of autonomy with respect to economic 

13 and trade matters, and rule of law; 

14 (7) condemns the pro-Beijing media for tar15 geting Julie Eadeh, the Political Counselor at the 

16 United States Consulate General in Hong Kong, and 

17 her family; and 

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

19 all governments— 

20 (A) to protect the rights of freedom of ex21 pression and peaceful assembly; 

22 (B) to condemn all acts of violence against 

23 those seeking to further their democratic rights; 

24 and 


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1 (C) to refrain from the use of violence. 

Æ 


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