June 11, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 97 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages S3299-S3300]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               HONG KONG

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on an entirely different matter, like 
many of my colleagues, I watched images from Hong Kong this weekend and 
could not help but be moved by the residents of that metropolis. They 
are mounting a bold stand to preserve Hong Kong's autonomy from China 
and, by extension, defend their liberties.
  Over the weekend, more than 1 million residents, a staggering 
proportion of the population--about one in seven--took to the streets 
to protest a draft law that would allow the people of Hong Kong to be 
extradited to mainland China. Hong Kong residents rightly view this 
measure as another erosion of the rule of law and tightening of 
Beijing's grip on their imperiled autonomy.

[[Page S3300]]

  These are not just students or lawyers or intellectuals who have 
taken to the streets but a broad cross-section of Hong Kong's diverse 
society--all age groups, all professions, all walks of life--all 
committed to preserving the personal freedoms and judicial independence 
that have made Hong Kong such a special and prosperous city.
  The Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992, which I sponsored, has, for nearly 
three decades, enshrined America's commitment to preserving Hong Kong's 
special status and its freedoms. This draft law is inconsistent with 
the Hong Kong Policy Act and puts Hong Kong on the path of becoming 
just another one of China's cities subject to Beijing's whims.
  As the Vice President stated last autumn, ``For a time, Beijing 
inched toward greater liberty and respect for human rights. But in 
recent years, China has taken a sharp U-turn toward control and 
oppression of its own people.''
  I regret that reports from Guangdong to Xinjiang continue to prove 
him right as Beijing's grip on its own people grows tighter, even as 
the rest of the world marks its 30th anniversary of the violence in 
Tiananmen Square.
  I encourage the administration to stay engaged and express our 
concerns with the authorities in Hong Kong before this proposal becomes 
law and the Chinese Communist Party further extends its control over 
the people of Hong Kong.

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