House Foreign Affairs Committee Passes 2 Hong Kong Bills With Trade Implications

Two Hong Kong bills that could affect trade with the Chinese territory passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee Sept. 25. H.R. 4270, the PROTECT Hong Kong Act, would ban the export of tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray to Hong Kong, so that U.S. companies aren't complicit with crackdowns on protestors (see 1909190040).

The other bill, H.R. 3289, Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, proposes that Hong Kong's special status in customs and export controls could change if the State Department says that Hong Kong is no longer upholding the rule of law and following the two systems, one country promise when Hong Kong was turned over to China by the British in 1997. However, the bill gives the State Department the ability to avoid terminating any of that special treatment if it determines that keeping the special status would protect the autonomy of Hong Kong or that it is in the national security interests of the U.S.

Both bills passed by unanimous voice vote.