BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), today sent a letter to the United Nations permanent representatives for Estonia and France, the current and incoming president of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in support of the United States Mission to the United Nations’ (USUN) call for an immediate UNSC meeting on recent actions taken by the Chinese government to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy.
“In your nations’ capacities as the current and incoming president of the UNSC, we write to strongly support the USUN’s call for an immediate UNSC meeting on recent actions taken by the Chinese government to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy and infringe on the rights and freedoms promised to the Hong Kong people,” wrote the members.
“The People’s Republic of China’s actions with regard to Hong Kong are a clear violation of its binding international commitments, including the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, and undermine the ability for the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to remain in force in Hong Kong as guaranteed by Hong Kong’s Basic Law,” the members continued. “These actions warrant the immediate attention of the UNSC. We hope in your capacities as the current and incoming President of the UNSC, you will support this call for a virtual meeting at the UNSC without delay.”
Full text of the letter can be found here and below:
Your Excellencies:
In your nations’ capacities as the current and incoming President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), we write to strongly support the United States Mission to the United Nations’ (USUN) call for an immediate UNSC meeting on recent actions taken by the Chinese government to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy and infringe on the rights and freedoms promised to the Hong Kong people.
As stated in the USUN statement issued on May 27, 2020: “The United States is deeply concerned by actions taken by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) National People’s Congress that fundamentally undermine Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and freedoms as guaranteed under the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, which was registered with the UN as a legally binding treaty, and the Basic Law. This is a matter of urgent global concern that implicates international peace and security, and warrants the immediate attention of the UN Security Council.”
The United States Congress has been deeply involved in supporting Hong Kong’s autonomy and has codified this position into United States law through the Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-383) and most recently, the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 (Public Law 116-76).
The PRC’s actions with regard to Hong Kong are a clear violation of its binding international commitments, including the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984, and undermine the ability for the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to remain in force in Hong Kong as guaranteed by Hong Kong’s Basic Law. These actions warrant the immediate attention of the UNSC. We hope in your capacities as the current and incoming President of the UNSC, you will support this call for a virtual meeting at the UNSC without delay.
Sincerely,
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