U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said that his Hong Kong Autonomy Act contains tools that could be used to counter attacks on freedom of the press in Hong Kong. Van Hollen shared his statement in an August 29 post on X.
"Yet another attack on press freedom in Hong Kong—where dissent has been all but outlawed under Beijing's draconian ‘National Security Law," said Van Hollen. "We need to hold those subverting freedom accountable using tools we passed in my bipartisan Hong Kong Autonomy Act."
According to The New York Times, two Hong Kong editors were convicted of sedition as a result of China’s "national security clampdown to silence critics." In court, the prosecutors characterized news articles and opinion pieces published by the two as biased against the government and as a threat to national security, while both editors have maintained their innocence.
The Hong Kong Autonomy Act (H.R.77440) was signed into law on July 14, 2020, addressing concerns about the deterioration of Hong Kong’s political autonomy by the Chinese government, according to Congress.gov. The bill imposes sanctions on "foreign individuals and entities that materially contribute to China’s failure to preserve Hong Kong’s autonomy." It recognizes Hong Kong as being "a part of China but has a largely separate legal and economic system…", including the "freedom of speech."
According to Voice of America, the Chinese government has been cracking down on security laws in 2024 to strengthen national legitimacy and eliminate perceived threats to its rule. Zhao Leji, a top legislator, promised that lawmakers would "resolutely safeguard China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests." Plans for laws include national defense education law, cybersecurity law, emergency management law, energy law, atomic energy law, hazardous chemicals safety law, and military education law.
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, author of "Beijing Rules: How China Weaponized Its Economy to Confront the World," said on an episode of the China Desk podcast that the Chinese government uses its power in Hong Kong to prevent expressions of dissent from Chinese rule. "For Hong Kong," she said, "you're not allowed to present the reality on the ground. In Hong Kong there is no such thing now as ‘one country, two systems.’ Beijing directly rules Hong Kong and has extended its authoritarianism there. You certainly can't support the pro-democracy movement there."
Van Hollen was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2016. He previously served as a member of the Maryland state legislature and in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the House, he served as a member of Democratic leadership and was elected by his colleagues as the Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee.
