U.S. MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS
New York, New York
May 27, 2020
Call for UN Security Council Meeting on Hong Kong
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.
As a result, the United States called today for a virtual meeting of the Security Council to discuss these acts and the PRC’s proposed national security law that would threaten Hong Kong’s democratic institutions and civil liberties. Such actions confirm the PRC’s contempt and complete disregard for its international obligations.
Unsurprisingly, the PRC has refused to allow this virtual meeting to proceed in the Security Council. This is another example of the Chinese Communist Party’s fear of transparency and international accountability for its actions, and belief that it can exploit the current global health pandemic to distract the world from its intended assault on Hong Kong and abrogation of its own commitments to the Hong Kong people.
This action, coupled with the PRC’s gross cover-up and mismanagement of the COVID-19 crisis, its constant violations of its international human rights commitments, and its unlawful behavior in the South China Sea, should make obvious to all that Beijing is not behaving as a responsible UN member state.
We call on the PRC to immediately reverse course and honor its promises under the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
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