Hong Kong Watch leads advocacy meetings with Congressmen in Washington D.C.
In September, Hong Kong Watch has facilitated and led advocacy meetings with parliamentarians for the student representatives from the City University students' union, HKIAD and activists in Washington D.C., including with officials from the office of Vice President Mike Pence, the National Security Council and the State Department to discuss the ongoing protests which have drawn global attention. In addition, we introduced the student leaders to Congressmen from the Foreign Affairs Committee and Senators from the Foreign Relations Committee to discuss the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019. Other meetings include the Chair of the Congressional Executive Commission on China (CECC) Rep. Jim McGovern, the Co-Chair of CECC Senator Marco Rubio, the Foreign Affairs Committee's Subcommittee on Asia Ranking Member Rep. Ted Yoho, Rep. Tim Burchett, Rep. Steve Chabot, Rep. John Curtis, Senator Patrick Toomey and Senator Rick Scott. The delegation also visited the offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee Senator Chuck Grassley, Senator Mitt Romney, Senator Cory Gardner, Senator Jeff Merkley, Rep. Joaquin Castro and Rep. Gerry Connolly.
Separately, the House Foreign Affairs Committee has passed the Protect Hong Kong Act in October to place restrictions on teargas exports and crowd control technology to the Hong Kong Police Force or the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force. Hong Kong Watch supported Senator Jeff Merkley with research and data on current teargas exports to Hong Kong by US companies for the Senate version of the Protect Hong Kong Act. In November, both bills on Hong Kong were fast-tracked and passed in the Senate, bypassing the usual reconciliation of the Senate's and House's versions of the bills.
