WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding protests in Hong Kong over a proposed extradition law:
“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 a 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. 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 Chinese city subject to Beijing’s whims.
“As the Vice President stated last autumn, quote, ‘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 the 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.”
###
