The U.S. House of Representatives passes the China-related bill to revoke the diplomatic status of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in the United States – International – Liberty Times e-newsletter

[Compiled by Chen Chengliang/Comprehensive Report]The Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives voted 30 in favor and 0 against on November 29 to pass the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Certification Act (HKETO Certification Act), which will require the executive branch to re- Evaluate whether the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in the United States (ETO) should continue to enjoy special diplomatic treatment and immunity.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee also passed a number of bills involving China, including blocking U.S. investment in China’s artificial intelligence (AI) and other high-tech fields, and supporting human rights in Tibet and Xinjiang.

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Hong Kong currently has three economic and trade offices in the United States, located in New York, San Francisco and Washington. The bill passed this time requires the President to certify within 30 days after the bill is enacted whether the Economic and Trade Office is worthy of extending the privileges, exceptions or immunity. If it is not worthy, the Economic and Trade Office must be closed within 180 days; and Congress still has the right to propose a veto motion. If the motion is passed, the diplomatic privileges of the Economic and Trade Office can be revoked.

The bill was co-sponsored by Republican Congressman Chris Smith, chairman of the Congressional and Executive Committee on China (CECC), and Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern, co-chairman of the committee. The Senate version of this bill was co-sponsored by Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley in February this year, and was unanimously approved by the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee in July.

After the foreign affairs committees of the two houses pass the bill, it must wait for deliberation by the respective chambers of the House of Representatives and the Senate, then vote to pass a unanimous version, and send it to President Biden for signature before completing the legislative process. However, if the Secretary of State believes that the Economic and Trade Office can continue to enjoy diplomatic treatment, Congress also has the power to veto it, forcing the executive branch to revoke the diplomatic privileges of the Economic and Trade Office and shut down all operations.

The Hong Kong Government Information Service published a thousand-word article on the 30th, strongly condemning the U.S. Congress for interfering in Hong Kong affairs; the Commissioner’s Office of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong also criticized the U.S. House of Representatives for using the “bill card” to interfere in Hong Kong affairs and China’s internal affairs, saying that China urged the United States to immediately step back from the brink. , stop advancing relevant bills.

On the same day, the House Foreign Affairs Committee also passed the Uyghur Policy Act proposed by a number of cross-party members to support the basic human rights and unique identities of the Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and other ethnic minorities who are subject to China’s inhumane treatment. The Foreign Affairs Committee also unanimously voted by voice to approve the proposed amendments to the 2002 Tibetan Policy Act. The main content is to authorize the government to work hard to counter disinformation about Tibet from Beijing.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee also passed the Preventing Adversaries from Developing Critical Capabilities Act, which requires U.S. companies to report to the government their investment plans for Chinese companies in the development of AI, quantum computing, hypersonics and semiconductors. and, through stricter scrutiny, to prevent China from acquiring any technology that could undermine U.S. national security.