House Plans Vote Backing Hong Kong, Defying China’s Warnings

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. House plans to vote Wednesday on the Senate’s bill supporting Hong Kong protesters, escalating a confrontation with China at a crucial moment in trade talks and forcing President Donald Trump to decide whether to side with demonstrators over threats of retaliation from Beijing.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi will put the measure to a vote in the House of Representatives, according to a congressional aide. The Senate unanimously passed the legislation Tuesday, advancing the bill derided by China as a “gross” interference in Hong Kong affairs.

That gives Trump an urgent choice: Signing the bill into law risks imperiling the long-awaited trade agreement, while vetoing the measure -- which has overwhelming support in both chambers -- risks Congress overriding the president for the first time.

Remarkable bipartisan support for taking a tough stance with China creates one of the toughest economic and foreign policy challenges of Trump’s presidency. He desperately needs the China trade deal -- and the economic bump from resolving that uncertainty -- as he ramps up his campaign for re-election. But going against the will of Congress presents its own challenges as Trump faces impeachment in the House.

“I’m delighted” about the House’s scheduled vote, Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch said in an interview. “I’m more than cautiously optimistic they’ll pass it.”

The House plans to vote on the Hong Kong measure using an expedited process that requires a two-thirds majority to pass, the aide said. The House unanimously approved a similar bill last month, but simply taking up the Senate version, S. 1838, would send the legislation to Trump’s desk immediately, without a delay to reconcile slight differences.

Trade Deal Risk

The Senate bill would require annual reviews of Hong Kong’s special status under U.S. law and sanction officials deemed responsible for human rights abuses and undermining the city’s autonomy.

“I certainly hope the House takes it up and passes it with the same overwhelmingly bipartisan margin we saw here in the Senate,” Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, said in an interview. “The Communist party will not be allowed to crush Hong Kong under its boot.”

The White House on Wednesday declined to comment on the legislation.

Trump has been virtually silent on the Hong Kong protests that escalated into violence in recent weeks, even as Republicans demanded action on the measure. Chinese officials quickly responded to the bill’s Senate passage Tuesday, saying Beijing “firmly” opposes the measure it considers a grave violation of international law.

Ma Zhaoxu, the Chinese vice minister of foreign affairs, summoned William Klein, a U.S. embassy official, and raised strong objections to the bill. Separately, Hong Kong’s government expressed “extreme regret” about the measure and said the legislation would negatively impact relations with the U.S.

Read More: China Struggles to Hit Back at U.S. Without Hurting Itself

China’s retaliation since Trump kicked off a trade war last year has mostly been tit-for-tat tariffs, always saying that it was left with no other choice. In other areas where it’s been hit by the U.S. -- Taiwan arms sales, sanctions over human-rights abuses in the far west region of Xinjiang, putting Huawei Technologies Co. on a blacklist -- China has held fire despite threats to hit back.

“It’s worth noting that the U.S. can do more damage to China than China can do to the U.S.,” said Shi Yinhong, an adviser to China’s cabinet who is a professor of international relations at Renmin University in Beijing.

Holding China Accountable

Still, Trump faces political risk heading into 2020 if conflict with China scuttles trade negotiations. The president’s main pitch to voters has been the strong U.S. economy and his ability to strike deals that put “America first,” as he often says.

“The imminent retaliation from China would be on the on-going trade talks,” said Huiyao Wang, another adviser to China’s cabinet and founder of the Center for China and Globalization in Beijing. “The Hong Kong bill will do tremendous damage to the prospect of a trade deal and stall the negotiation process as China’s side won’t engage positively with U.S. counterparts.”

Vice President Mike Pence has had the harshest words for China recently on behalf of the U.S. administration. He said on Tuesday that it would be tough for the U.S. to sign a trade agreement with China if the demonstrations in Hong Kong are met with violence.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday called on Trump and U.S. allies to “fulfill their roles” supporting Hong Kong protesters and enforcing China’s agreements to respect the city’s freedoms.

“I am proud that senators approved these further steps to update that original law to preserve Hong Kong’s autonomy and democracy and provide more tools for holding Beijing accountable,” McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said on the Senate floor. “While this bill moves forward, it is also important for the executive branch and our allies and partners around the world to fulfill their roles as well.”

--With assistance from Iain Marlow and Dandan Li.

To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Flatley in Washington at dflatley1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert, Anna Edgerton

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