Business Relations
Business Relations
Context
Hong Kong’s reputation was once one of being among the greatest international business and finance hubs in the world. Since Beijing’s vicious crackdown in Hong Kong under the auspices of the National Security Law, the reputation for ease of doing business has quickly evaporated. The government of China is increasingly attempting to whitewash this reality and resume “business as usual,” inviting financial executives and holding conferences to “reopen Hong Kong.” However the dynamic business environment that once existed in Hong Kong cannot survive in an authoritarian environment.
What we have done
The Hong Kong Democracy Council and our allies in Congress recognize this attempt by China to paper over their violation of human rights and continue to participate in global commerce unimpeded. As the United States and other powers have reevaluated their level of exposure to the Chinese market both on political and strategic grounds, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council Brian Leung has worked hard to endorse bills like the Hong Kong Business Integrity and Transparency Act of 2022 introduced by Rep. John R. Curtis (R-UT). The bill provides federal oversight on information requested by the government of Hong Kong, in order to protect US businesses and Hong Kong people from unjustified surveillance by the authorities.
What we are doing
The passage of this legislation is not guaranteed. Today, we are working with allies in Congress to ensure the bill gets more co-sponsors and is introduced in the Senate. We will continue to explore other policies that hold the government of Hong Kong to account and prevent US businesses from inadvertently colluding with their human rights violations. We believe this legislature can present businesses with a simple choice: comply with the Chinese National Security law and collude with Beijing’s authoritarianism, or comply with United States law and protect the freedom, dignity, and civil rights of the people of Hong Kong and their own businesses.
