Sen. Cruz: Right Now in Hong Kong, the Cause for Freedom Has Never Been Greater
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The six-month clash between protestors and Hong Kong police has escalated to new extremes as the Hong Kong police began last week to target Hong Kong universities and campuses in violent, fire-fueled attacks against students. As tensions continue to intensify in Hong Kong, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a video reaffirming his unwavering support for all students and activists in Hong Kong fighting to preserve freedom and democracy.
In the video, Sen. Cruz said:
"In Hong Kong, the cause for freedom has never been greater. The violence we have seen from the police force, which has escalated, including the shooting last week, in response to peaceful protests is shameful. [...]
"Last month, I was in Hong Kong. I met with many brave men and women who are standing up and speaking out for Hong Kong's autonomy, free speech, and basic human rights. I was dressed in all black in solidarity with each of you and all the peaceful protesters who have taken to the streets."
He added:
"I encourage each of you here today to resist the urge to respond to brutality in kind and instead follow in the peaceful footsteps of freedom fighters like Dr. Liu Xiaobo, Gandhi, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
"I will continue to support and stand alongside those speaking out against tyranny and fighting for freedom."
Sen. Cruz has been a leading advocate and strong supporter for Hong Kongers fighting to protect Hong Kong's autonomy, free speech, and basic human rights. In an op-ed in The Dallas Morning News, Sen. Cruz recognized the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and highlighted America's powerful legacy of supporting freedom fighters and combatting the evils of tyranny around the world:
"As the Chinese Communist Party continues to encroach on the autonomy of Hong Kong and eliminate the democratic norms there, the cause for freedom has never been greater. Today, Hong Kong is the new Berlin. China poses the most significant long-term geopolitical threat facing America and our allies. It is modernizing its military with stolen American technology and intellectual property, and China is using economic blackmail to coerce its neighbors and countries around the world. [...] All tyrants, including those of the Chinese Communist Party, fear the truth. And they fear dissidents."
Sen. Cruz has long advocated for the U.S. to stand firm in supporting those resisting the oppression of the Chinese Communist Party.
• In June, Sen. Cruz introduced the Hong Kong Policy Reevaluation Act, bipartisan legislation that amends the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 to strengthen oversight over Hong Kong policy in response to expanding moves by the Chinese Communist Party to exploit Hong Kong to circumvent the laws of the United States. Last month, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee included elements of the bill in the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, which passed out of the Committee unanimously.
• In July, Sen. Cruz introduced legislation, the Targeting Invasive Autocratic Networks & Necessary Mandatory Export Notifications Act of 2019 or the TIANANMEN Act of 2019 (S.2386), which requires the administration to blacklist Chinese companies that enable the Chinese Communist Party to conduct mass surveillance and oppression of predominantly Muslim religious minorities in Xinjiang. Last month, the administration implemented the parts of Sen. Cruz's legislation requiring the blacklisting.
• In October, as one of the first U.S. senators to visit Hong Kong since the protests began, Sen. Cruz met with pro-democracy activists, dissidents, and protest leaders and expressed his support for those fighting to protect Hong Kong's autonomy, free speech, and basic human rights. Following his visit to Hong Kong, he wrote an op-ed in USA Today urging Americans and American companies to stand against the Chinese Communist Party censorship, oppression and human rights atrocities.
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