There is no 'silver bullet' regarding how the US can and must support the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and respond to the CCP's growing abuses and malignant influences in the US and around the world.

HR 4521, the bipartisan Innovation and Competitiveness legislation takes a comprehensive view. It combines economic, diplomatic, humanitarian, enforcement, and investment strategies to ensure that the US and its allies can effectively and sustainably compete and counter China's authoritarian expansion within its border, on foreign soil, and virtually online.

Most importantly, HR 4521 includes vital and urgent 'Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice' language originally introduced by Rep. Tom Malinowski and Rep. Adam Kinzinger. So many Hong Kongers are at risk of political persecution and imprisonment now, and the US and its allies must utilize every tool and option at their disposal to rescue and protect the best and the bravest from Hong Kong. Congress must pass these life-saving measures as soon as possible.

Hong Kong-related measures in HR 4521 (House version):

• Hong Kong people's freedom and choice (Sec. 30303 of the House bill):

  • Provides temporary protected status and refugee status for qualifying Hong Kong residents for the 18-month period beginning after enactment.

  • Stipulates that Hong Kong continues to be considered a foreign state separate and apart from the PRC for purposes of the numerical limitations on immigrant visas.

  • Directs the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, to publish an interim final rule establishing procedures for designation of Priority Hong Kong Residents and finalize such rule no later than one year after enactment.

  • Directs the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with other Federal agencies, to submit a report detailing the number of HKSAR residents who have applied for US visas or immigration benefits; the number of approvals, denials, or rejections of applicants for visas or immigration benefits; the number of pending refugee and asylum applications for HKSAR residents, and the length of time and reason for which such applications have been pending.

  • Directs the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to report on refugee and asylum-related matters related to HKSAR applications, average wait times, approvals, referrals, denials, and refugee circuit rides to interview populations that would include Hong Kong SAR.

  • Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide special immigrant status admission for certain priority highly skilled Hong Kong residents, not to exceed 5,000 per year for each of the 5 FYs.

• Authorizes $10M for the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor to promote democracy in Hong Kong.

• Authorize $10M for the State Department to establish the “Liu Xiaobo Fund for Study of the Chinese Language” to fund study by United States persons of Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Mongolian, and other contemporary spoken languages of China, abroad or in the United States - as a substitute to PRC funded Confucius Institutes.

• Export prohibition of munitions items to the Hong Kong police force.

• Development and deployment of internet freedom and Great Firewall circumvention tools for the people of Hong Kong.

• Authorizes the Secretary of State to establish a Hong Kong Internet Freedom Program in DRL to develop a strategy to bolster internet resiliency and online access in Hong Kong. Authorizes the President of the Technology Fund to establish a Hong Kong Internet Freedom Program. Authorizes $10M to the Open Technology Fund and $20M to DRL's Office of Internet Freedom Programs.

• Directs the Secretary of State and the working group to submit a classified report on the Federal Government's strategy to promote and support Great Firewall circumvention and internet freedom in Hong Kong, influence global internet legal standards at international organizations, and multilateral fora, and other related topics.

• Requires the State Department to submit a report to Congress on how the PRC uses the status of Hong Kong to circumvent US laws and protections.