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1 1 (August 16, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbaue0001 and id is 1 raw text is: ' Congressional Research Service h~I fo rg the legislatve debate since 1914 S August 16, 2019 Hong Kong's Protests of 2019 Overview Every week since June 9, 2019, tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents, or Hong Kongers, have held marches and rallies to protest the perceived erosion of their city's high degree of autonomy promised by the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration and Beijing's efforts to Mainlandize Hong Kong's culture, economy, and society. The Hong Kong government, led by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, and China's central government have characterized the largely peaceful protests as riots and terrorism. The Hong Kong Police Force has employed increasingly aggressive tactics to stop the protests, resulting in allegations that its officers are violating international standards for responding to civil demonstrations. The continuing demonstrations may raise questions for the 116th Congress about the future of U.S. policy toward Hong Kong, a former British colony which was returned to China in 1997. The United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 (Hong Kong Policy Act; P.L. 102-383; 22 USC Ch. 66, as amended) calls on China to abide by the promises it made to the United Kingdom and the world in the 1984 Joint Declaration. It also states that the United States will afford the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, or HKSAR, separate treatment from China on commercial, cultural, educational, economic, trade, and transportation matters unless the President determines that Hong Kong is not sufficiently autonomous to justify such treatment. Congress and the Trump Administration are considering what measures, if any, to take to help preserve Hong Kong's autonomy and protect its current social and economic systems as promised in the Joint Declaration. Among the options under consideration is the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 (H.R. 3289, S. 1838-see below). In addition, Congress may also contemplate altering U.S. policy on separate treatment if and when Hong Kong no longer is sufficiently autonomous from China. Protests Overview On June 9, 2019, according to its organizers, an estimated one million Hong Kongers participated in a peaceful march from Victoria Park to the headquarters of the HKSAR government in opposition to proposed legislation that would have, among other things, allowed extradition from Hong Kong to Mainland China (see CRS In Focus IF 11248, Hong Kong's Proposed Extradition Law Amendments). The Hong Kong Police Force estimated 240,000 people attended the event. The following day, Chief Executive Lam said that her government planned to request Hong Kong's Legislative Council (Legco) to take up consideration of the bill on June 12, despite the protest. On June 12, tens of thousands of people surrounded the Legco building and shut down several major roads in the neighboring Admiralty District in opposition to the extradition bill. Legco cancelled its session for the day. After a standoff lasting several hours, an estimated 5,000 Hong Kong police officers in riot gear used tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray, and truncheons to open the streets and disperse the demonstrators. Chief Executive Lam and Police Commissioner Steven Lo Wai-chung characterized the day's demonstration a riot and indicated that the police had no choice but to start to use force. Two days later, Chief Executive Lam announced an indefinite delay in Legco's consideration of the extradition bill. On the following Sunday (June 16), an estimated 2 million Hong Kong residents again peacefully marched from Victoria Park to the HKSAR government headquarters in Admiralty; the Hong Kong Police Force stated that only 334,000 people participated. The protesters called for the withdrawal of the extradition bill, a renouncement of the riot characterization, the dropping of all charges against the arrested demonstrators, and an independent investigation into alleged excessive use of force by the Hong Kong police. After the protest march, Chief Executive Lam released a written apology, saying that she would pay more attention to the views of the Hong Kong people. She subsequently announced the suspension, but not the complete withdrawal, of the extradition bill. Since June 16, one or more large-scale demonstrations have been held every weekend, and on some weekdays as well. In many cases, after the formal demonstrations were over, some of the protesters marched to new locations or blocked off streets, leading to the deployment of police officers in riot gear. The arrival of the police frequently has led to confrontations, and eventually the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray to break up the protests. The protesters have responded by donning makeshift riot gear and throwing bottles, bricks, and umbrellas at the police, leading to accusations of violence by both sides. Issues Motivating the Protests While the proposed extradition bill precipitated the continuing demonstrations, other long-standing issues are motivating the protesters. These include the perceived erosion of Hong Kong's autonomy, the Mainlandization of the city, and worsening economic opportunities. Nor is this the first time Hong Kong residents have risen in large numbers to protest actions by China's central government and the HKSAR government seen as eroding the city's autonomy. On July 1, 2003, an estimated 500,000 people rallied against a proposed anti-sedition law introduced by then Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa; the bill was subsequently withdrawn. In 2014, the so-called Umbrella htps://crsreporscorg ressgo

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