Condemning Beijings destruction of Hong Kongs democracy and rule of law.

Condemning Beijings destruction of Hong Kongs democracy and rule of law. Whereas, in 1997, Great Britain handed Hong Kong over to Chinese rule under guarantees that Hong Kong would become a Special Administrative Region under the one country, two systems fundamental rights Whereas the Government of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) has repeatedly undermined Hong Kongs autonomy since the 1997 handover, including actions which resulted in political protests in Hong Kong, including the Umbrella Movement in 2014, a protest against Beijings attempt to reform Hong Kongs electoral system, and the 20192020 protests, which opposed the Hong Kong Governments attempt to implement an extradition law that would have subjected Hong Kongers to prosecution in mainland China; Whereas the Hong Kong Police Force used excessive force to try to quell the 20192020 protestors, many of whom were under the age of 30; Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China responded to these protests by passing and implementing the Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly referred to as the Hong Kong national security law Whereas, since its enactment in June 2020, this law has been used by the Government of the Peoples Republic of China as a pretext to crack down on legitimate and peaceful expression, including the exercise of freedoms of assembly, speech, and religious belief provided for under the Basic Law, to replace the Hong Kong legislature with individuals loyal to the Chinese Communist Party, and to pass new immigration laws that subject Hong Kong citizens and residents, as well as PRC nationals and foreign nationals, to exit bans in Hong Kong similar to those implemented in mainland China; Whereas more than 200 people have been arrested under the Hong Kong national security law since its enactment in June 2020; Whereas the Government of the Peoples Republic of China is using the Hong Kong national security law to harass, target, and threaten non-Hong Kong citizens and those outside of Hong Kong, based upon for unsubstantiated and vague allegations of endangering national security Whereas, Jimmy Lai, a 75-year-old Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate and media entrepreneur, has been targeted and persecuted for decades, most recently through multiple prosecutions, including related to exercising his rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, his sentencing to over five years in prison under politically motivated fraud charges and the seizure of his multimillion dollar independent media organization Apple Daily by the Hong Kong authorities; Whereas Mr. Lai is now one of the highest profile cases facing trial under vaguely defined charges under the so-called national security law Whereas, Cardinal Zen, a 90-year-old Roman Catholic cardinal, and five other colleagues were found guilty of politically motivated charges related to failing to register a humanitarian fund that helped anti-government protesters; Whereas the Government of the Peoples Republic of Chinas undermining of democracy in Hong Kong has ramifications for the international order, including with regard to the future of Taiwan; Whereas the Hong Kong Government has conducted a public relations campaign to convince global business leaders that Hong Kong remains a critical and attractive international financial center, while simultaneously undermining the independence of institutions that encouraged its growth over the past several decades; Whereas Hong Kong still maintains a separate voting share from the Peoples Republic of China at many multilateral organizationsincluding the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the Financial Action Task Force, the International Olympic Committee, and the World Trade Organizationeffectively doubling the Peoples Republic of Chinas voting power at these critical institutions; and Whereas the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act ( Public Law 11676 22 U.S.C. 5701 Whereas, in 1997, Great Britain handed Hong Kong over to Chinese rule under guarantees that Hong Kong would become a Special Administrative Region under the one country, two systems fundamental rights Whereas the Government of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) has repeatedly undermined Hong Kongs autonomy since the 1997 handover, including actions which resulted in political protests in Hong Kong, including the Umbrella Movement in 2014, a protest against Beijings attempt to reform Hong Kongs electoral system, and the 20192020 protests, which opposed the Hong Kong Governments attempt to implement an extradition law that would have subjected Hong Kongers to prosecution in mainland China; Whereas the Hong Kong Police Force used excessive force to try to quell the 20192020 protestors, many of whom were under the age of 30; Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China responded to these protests by passing and implementing the Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly referred to as the Hong Kong national security law Whereas, since its enactment in June 2020, this law has been used by the Government of the Peoples Republic of China as a pretext to crack down on legitimate and peaceful expression, including the exercise of freedoms of assembly, speech, and religious belief provided for under the Basic Law, to replace the Hong Kong legislature with individuals loyal to the Chinese Communist Party, and to pass new immigration laws that subject Hong Kong citizens and residents, as well as PRC nationals and foreign nationals, to exit bans in Hong Kong similar to those implemented in mainland China; Whereas more than 200 people have been arrested under the Hong Kong national security law since its enactment in June 2020; Whereas at least 47 individuals known collectively as the Hong Kong 47, including Benny Tai Yiu-ting and Joshua Wong Chi-fung, are facing national security charges for organizing or participating in a peaceful unofficial primary election, many of whom have been held in lengthy pretrial detention; Whereas the Government of the Peoples Republic of China is using the Hong Kong national security law to harass, target, and threaten non-Hong Kong citizens and those outside of Hong Kong, based upon for unsubstantiated and vague allegations of endangering national security Whereas, Jimmy Lai, a 75-year-old Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate and media entrepreneur, has been targeted and persecuted for decades, most recently through multiple prosecutions, including related to exercising his rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, his sentencing to over five years in prison under politically motivated fraud charges and the seizure of his multimillion dollar independent media organization Apple Daily by the Hong Kong authorities; Whereas Mr. Lai is now one of the highest profile cases facing trial under vaguely defined charges under the so-called national security law Whereas, Cardinal Zen, a 90-year-old Roman Catholic cardinal, and five other colleagues were found guilty of politically motivated charges related to failing to register a humanitarian fund that helped anti-government protesters; Whereas the Government of the Peoples Republic of Chinas undermining of democracy in Hong Kong has ramifications for the international order, including with regard to the future of Taiwan; Whereas the Hong Kong Government has conducted a public relations campaign to convince global business leaders that Hong Kong remains a critical and attractive international financial center, while simultaneously undermining the independence of institutions that encouraged its growth over the past several decades; Whereas Hong Kong still maintains a separate voting share from the Peoples Republic of China at many multilateral organizationsincluding the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the Financial Action Task Force, the International Olympic Committee, and the World Trade Organizationeffectively doubling the Peoples Republic of Chinas voting power at these critical institutions; and Whereas the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act ( Public Law 11676 22 U.S.C. 5701 That the Senate (1) condemns the Government of the People's Republic of China's Hong Kong national security law (2) urges all governments that value democracy or autonomy to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its destruction of Hong Kongs autonomy, rule of law, and freedoms; (3) supports the people of Hong Kong as they fight to exercise fundamental rights and freedoms, as enumerated by (A) the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, done at Beijing December 19, 1984; (B) the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, done at New York December 19, 1966; and (C) the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, done at Paris December 10, 1948; (4) condemns the Government of the People's Republic of Chinas practice of bringing false and politically motivated charges, such as fraud, against Hong Kongers in order to tarnish their reputations in advance of their national security law trials; (5) calls upon the Hong Kong Government to immediately drop all sedition and national security law-related charges and free all defendants immediately, including Jimmy Lai and Cardinal Zen; (6) expresses extreme concern about the Government of the People's Republic of China' State-directed theft of Apple Daily, and holds that Hong Kong no longer has credibility as an international business center due to the erosion of the regulatory and legal environments that have promoted its economic growth for decades; (7) encourages the United States Government and other governments to take steps at multilateral institutions to ensure that voting procedures recognize that there is no longer a meaningful distinction between Hong Kong and mainland China; and (8) urges the United States Government to use all available tools, including those authorized by the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, in response to the Government of the Peoples Republic of Chinas actions in Hong Kong. That the Senate (1) condemns the Government of the People's Republic of China's Hong Kong national security law (2) urges all governments that value democracy or autonomy to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its destruction of Hong Kongs autonomy, rule of law, and freedoms; (3) supports the people of Hong Kong as they fight to exercise fundamental rights and freedoms, as enumerated by (A) the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, done at Beijing December 19, 1984; (B) the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, done at New York December 19, 1966; and (C) the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, done at Paris December 10, 1948; (4) condemns the Government of the People's Republic of Chinas practice of bringing false and politically motivated charges, such as fraud, against Hong Kongers in order to tarnish their reputations in advance of their national security law trials; (5) calls upon the Hong Kong Government to immediately drop all sedition and national security law-related charges, including those against the Hong Kong 47, Jimmy Lai, and Cardinal Zen, and free all defendants immediately; (6) expresses extreme concern about the Government of the People's Republic of China' State-directed theft of Apple Daily, and holds that Hong Kong no longer has credibility as an international business center due to the erosion of the regulatory and legal environments that have promoted its economic growth for decades; (7) encourages the United States Government and other governments to take steps at multilateral institutions to ensure that voting procedures recognize that there is no longer a meaningful distinction between Hong Kong and mainland China; and (8) urges the United States Government to use all available tools, including those authorized by the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, in response to the Government of the Peoples Republic of Chinas actions in Hong Kong. May 4, 2023 Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble

Summary: This resolution condemns China's Hong Kong national security law (officially called The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) and related human rights abuses. The resolution also (1) supports the people of Hong Kong as they fight to exercise fundamental rights and freedoms; and (2) calls upon the Hong Kong government to drop all sedition and national security law-related charges and free all defendants immediately, including Jimmy Lai, Cardinal Zen, and at least 47 individuals known collectively as the Hong Kong 47.