April 1, 2025 – Today, Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), and Congressman Thomas Suozzi (D-NY) introduced legislation to rename the street outside the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Washington, D.C., as “Jimmy Lai Way.” The Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong (CFHK) Foundation applauds this bipartisan effort and urges all members of Congress to support the bill, standing firmly against Beijing’s repression of Hong Kong’s freedoms. 

Jimmy Lai, a British citizen and founder of Apple Daily, remains unjustly imprisoned under Beijing’s draconian National Security Law. His trial, which began in December 2023, highlights the CCP’s systematic dismantling of Hong Kong’s freedoms and rule of law. Despite his dire circumstances, Lai bravely testified in his own defense for 52 days. Reports of his declining health in prison have raised international alarm.  

Originally introduced in April 2023, the Jimmy Lai Way Bill (H.R.2522) has been reintroduced to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to defending democracy and human rights in Hong Kong. If passed and signed into law, the bill will officially rename the street outside the HKETO as “Jimmy Lai Way,” changing the official address of the HKETO building to 1 Jimmy Lai Way Northwest. The legislation also strongly condemns Lai’s wrongful imprisonment, denounces his show trial, and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. 

The HKETOs worldwide act as extensions of the CCP’s influence abroad. Under Beijing’s control, HKETOs actively lobby against pro-democracy efforts and engage in transnational repression of dissidents. In the last Congress, the bipartisan Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices Certification Act, was introduced in both the House and Senate to determine whether the HKETOs merit the diplomatic immunity and privileges granted to them by the International Organizations Immunities Act.  

CFHK Foundation’s U.S. Director, Jonathan Stivers, said: 

“The CFHK Foundation appreciates the strong leadership of Reps. Smith, Moolenaar, Krishnamoorthi, and Suozzi in support of freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong. Jimmy Lai has been wrongly imprisoned and has suffered for far too long. He must be released immediately and unconditionally and, until that time, the street outside the Hong Kong government’s de facto embassy should remind Chinese and Hong Kong diplomats every single day that we will not rest until Jimmy Lai and all political prisoners in Hong Kong are free.“

The CFHK Foundation’s Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, Frances Hui, said:  

“The Hong Kong government uses its HKETOs worldwide to whitewash the erosion of freedoms in Hong Kong. Behind the facade of its D.C. office lies a regime responsible for imprisoning over 1,900 protesters and activists simply for advocating democracy and standing against Beijing’s authoritarian rule. As the Hong Kong government attempts to erase these pro-democracy voices, we will not let them succeed. This bill will remind all who pass by the HKETO of Jimmy Lai’s courage and sacrifice while keeping Hong Kong’s pro-democracy fight alive in the heart of Washington, D.C.”