US Senate support for Hong Kong pro-democracy bill rises ahead of vote, which follows House of Representatives passing measure
- Cosponsors of Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act rises to 25 per cent of the US Senate
- Support rises as House of Representatives passes similar bill
Support for controversial US legislation aimed at supporting Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, and branded a “political plot” by Beijing, jumped in the US Senate on Tuesday, just as the House of Representatives passed a similar bill.
Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican representing Texas, and two others signed onto the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019, bringing the number of cosponsors to 25, exactly one quarter of the chamber, and almost evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.
Catherine Cortez Masto, a Nevada Democrat, and James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican, also added their cosponsorships.
The Senate’s proportion of cosponsors beats the one-fifth of lawmakers who cosponsored the bill in the House, where the bill passed with a voice vote on Tuesday, which sidesteps the need for a roll-call vote, and no registered objections.
Introduced in June by Representative Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, the legislation paves the way for sanctions against individuals deemed responsible for actions to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy, such as the rendition to the mainland of anyone exercising “internationally recognised human rights in Hong Kong”.