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The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act (HR 1103) by a 413-3 vote. The bill would require the US President to annually certify whether HKETOs should continue to have diplomatic privileges and immunities now that Hong Kong’s special autonomous status has been decertified.
Jonathan Stivers, U.S. Director of the CFHK Foundation said, “We are deeply grateful to the members of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China for leading on this effort - especially the House and Senate sponsors – Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).”
“The HKETO offices in the U.S. have clearly been taking their orders from Beijing. These offices should no longer be allowed to have separate privileges and immunities from the People’s Republic of China, especially considering the evidence that Hong Kong officials have been engaged in transnational repression against human rights advocates in the U.S. and espionage in the UK and Germany,” Stivers said. “The U.S. House of Representatives has sent a clear and overwhelming message today that the HKETOs should be shut down. It is now time for the U.S. Senate to take further action so this legislation can be signed into law by the President this year.”
Hong Kong Symposium 2024 in U.S. Capito
The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation hosted the 2nd annual Hong Kong Symposium at the US Capitol. This year, U.S. political leaders including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi; Senator Jeff Merkley, Co-Chair of the CECC and Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Congresswoman Young Kim, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on the Indo-Pacific; and Congressman Jim McGovern, addressed the symposium.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said, “we need the Chinese Government to know we are not going away and that there has to be a path back to democratic values in Hong Kong. None of this will be effective without the courage that you are all demonstrating. This Hong Kong Symposium is going to make a big difference and I look forward to seeing the result of it.” Senator Jeff Merkley added, “Members of Congress must remember that Hong Kong has gone from a human rights defender to a human rights disaster.”
Congresswoman Young Kim also emphasized the role of the U.S. Government and said, “We must remember that a threat to freedom anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere.” Congressman Jim McGovern added, “Standing up for human rights is not interference. It is the obligation of any Government to uphold them. The PRC conveniently forgets that.”
Jimmy Lai’s Trial Update
Mark Clifford, President of the CFHK Foundation and former member of the board of directors of Next Digital, which published the Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong, released a copy of a human rights complaint against the global auditing firm BDO filed with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The complaint accuses BDO, a top 5 public accounting firm with operations in Hong Kong, of violating OECD human rights rules by helping the Hong Kong government liquidate the firm as part of China’s national security crackdown.
Jimmy Lai's trial is expected to resume on November 20th for further proceedings, including his testimony.
Detailed trial updates available here: Support Jimmy Lai
Hong Kong
Twenty-three member countries of the Media Freedom Coalition have released a joint statement expressing grave concern over the guilty verdict against the former editors of Stand News and the wider suppression of Hong Kong media freedom. “Journalism is not a crime,” the statement reads. It also urges Hong Kong and Chin authorities to uphold their international human rights commitments and legal obligations, and to respect freedom of the press and freedom of speech in Hong Kong.
David Missal, an award-winning German journalist and activist, was denied entry at the Hong Kong International Airport. He wrote on X (Twitter) that Hong Kong authorities subjected him to 13 sleepless hours under immigration examination in the middle of the night after he arrived on a flight from Beijing. “I was questioned several times and held in a room without any daylight but neon tubes at the ceiling. My luggage was searched. The police did not provide any reason for the entry refusal,” Missal wrote.
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