Over the past year, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has continued to take actions against Hong Kong’s promised high degree of autonomy, democratic institutions, and rights and freedoms. This includes Hong Kong authorities’ recent enactment of legislation under Article 23 of the Basic Law, which has broad and vaguely defined provisions regarding “sedition,” “state secrets,” and interactions with foreign entities. These provisions could both be used to eliminate dissent inside Hong Kong and applied outside of its borders as part of the PRC’s ongoing campaign of transnational repression.
Each year, the Department of State submits to Congress the Hong Kong Policy Act Report and accompanying certification. This year, I have again certified that Hong Kong does not warrant treatment under U.S. laws in the same manner as the laws were applied to Hong Kong before July 1, 1997. This year’s report catalogs the intensifying repression and ongoing crackdown by PRC and Hong Kong authorities on civil society, media, and dissenting voices, including through the issuance of bounties and arrest warrants for more than a dozen pro-democracy activists living outside Hong Kong. In response, the Department of State is announcing that it is taking steps to impose new visa restrictions on multiple Hong Kong officials responsible for the intensifying crackdown on rights and freedoms, pursuant to Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
We are committed to continuing to work with Congress and the international community to stand with the people in Hong Kong in calling for the restoration of Hong Kongers’ protected rights and freedoms, the immediate release of those unjustly detained or imprisoned under the National Security Law, and respect for the rule of law.
