Key words: Congressional-Executive
Commission on China, Chris Smith, tell the truth, NED, NDI, American meddling, Hong
Kong, booksellers, China
Congressional-Executive Commission on China
background
The
Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) was created by Congress in
October 2000 with the legislative mandate to monitor human rights and the development
of the rule of law in China, and to submit an annual report to the President
and the Congress. The CECC consists of nine Senators, nine Members of the House
of Representatives, and five senior Administration officials appointed by the
President.
The Chairman of
the CECC is Representative Christopher Smith (Chris Smith).
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| Chris Smith (courtesy Chris Smith Twitter account) |
CECC 2016 Annual Report
The CECC has just
released its annual report for 2016, which includes a section on Hong Kong in
an open letter to President Obama.
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| Congressional Executive Committee on China 2016 Annual Report |
Here’s a link to the
report:
https://www.cecc.gov/media-center/press-releases/cecc-releases-2016-annual-report
Here’s what Chris
Smith wrote to President Obama:
Challenges to Hong Kong’s ‘High Degree’ of Autonomy
The actions of the Chinese and Hong Kong governments
during the past reporting year continue to raise concerns about the future of
the guaranteed freedoms, autonomy, and rule of law that distinguish Hong Kong
from mainland China and underpin Hong Kong’s financial reputation and
prosperity.
The disappearance, alleged abductions, and detention in
mainland China of five Hong Kong-based booksellers is one of the most grave
violations of the “One Country, Two Systems” policy since 1997.
While recent LegCo elections saw some young activists
associated with the “Umbrella Movement” protests of 2014 gain elective office,
the process was marred before voting commenced, as the Hong Kong authorities
disqualified candidates who refused to sign a loyalty pledge affirming Hong
Kong as an “inalienable part of China.”
Given the important economic interests the United States
has in Hong Kong, and China’s international commitments to protect a “high
degree of autonomy” in Hong Kong, the Commission’s report recommends that the
administration continue to issue annually the report on Hong Kong outlined in
Section 301 of the United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992.
In addition, the report recommends that the
Administration and Congress work together to determine whether separate
treatment for Hong Kong, which is allowed under the Act, is merited if Hong
Kong’s autonomy and its guaranteed freedoms are further eroded.
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| Congressional Executive Committee on China 2016 Annual Report - Letter to President Obama Section on Hong Kong |
What was
suppressed from the report
The report talks about “Principled U.S. leadership”, so
this post challenges Chris Smith to
tell the President and the people of Hong Kong the truth about what the US
Government, through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is doing in Hong
Kong.
1. What does
Chris Smith know about the NED
Research shows
Chris Smith is actually one of the NED’s biggest supporters. According to a NED
Democracy Net press release on 5 March 1999:
‘Representative Chris Smith Calls NED Most
Cost-Effective Item in Budget - Washington, D.C. - Congressman Christopher
Smith (R-N.J.) praised the work of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED),
calling NED "the most cost-effective item in the federal budget."
Smith, who chairs the House Subcommittee on
International Operations and Human Rights called attention to the Endowment's
efficiency and effectiveness in promoting democracy around the world at a
hearing of his subcommittee yesterday’.
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NED Press Release
on Democracy Net dated 5 March 1999
Chris Smith praising the NED
|
This shows Chris
Smith is fully aware of what the NED is and what they are doing.
2. Were the
Hong Kong ‘booksellers’ funded by the NED?
Chris Smith talks
about the ‘bookseller’ case, but failed to brief the President about NED
programs in China. Here are details of NED grants supporting subversive
activities in China since 1994:
Many of the grant
recipients are publishers. We would like to know if the Hong Kong ‘booksellers’
are among the publishers who were being funded by the NED?
As an aside,
perhaps Chris Smith could also brief the President on how many of the lawyers
caught up in the so-called 709 crackdown are NED funded. At the same time, it
might be a good time for Chris Smith to explain to the American public exactly
how their tax payer dollars are being squandered on failed programs in China.
3. Protecting
Hon Kong’s “high degree of autonomy”
Chris Smith talks
about protecting Hon Kong’s “high degree of autonomy”. That is very noble, but
if it is the case, can Chris Smith please tell the truth about how the NED has
been undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy since 1994 through its grants program. Details
of NED grants to fund subversive activities which have threatened Hong Kong’
high degree of autonomy can be found here:
In particular, we
would like to know full details of how the following grants from the NED to the
American Democratic Party’s National Democratic Institute (NDI) are being used:
NED grant to the NDI in 2012 for programs in Hong Kong
National
Democratic Institute for International Affairs - US$460,000 - To foster awareness
regarding Hong Kong's political institutions and constitutional reform
process and to develop the capacity of citizens - particularly university
students - to more effectively participate in the public debate on
political reform, NDI will work with civil society organizations on
parliamentary monitoring, a survey, and development of an Internet portal, allowing
students and citizens to explore possible reforms leading to universal
suffrage.
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| NED Annual Report for 2012 Grants to China (Hong Kong) |
This is the US Government grant which was used to fund Hong Kong's color revolution (Occupy Central/Umbrella Movement).
NED grant to the NDI in 2013 for programs in Hong Kong
National
Democratic Institute for International Affairs - $400,000 - Enhancing Representative Governance - To strengthen the ability of mainland Chinese
civil society organizations (CSOs) to request and publicize information under
China's open government regulations, and to strengthen the ability of Hong
Kong CSOs to conduct organized monitoring of legislative processes. In both
contexts, NDI will work with CSO partners to shed light on government actions
and contribute to greater accountability and better governance.
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| NED Annual Report for 2013 Grants to Asia Regional (Hong Kong) |
NED grants to the NDI in 2014 for programs in Hong Kong
National
Democratic Institute for International Affairs - Political Processes - $410,000
- Amplifying Citizens’ Voices in Hong Kong & China - To engage Hong
Kong civic and political sectors in substantive dialogue around governance
and electoral reform processes and to provide civic education for Chinese
activists. NDI will assist efforts to promote citizens’ voices in Hong
Kong’s political reform process and provide technical assistance to Chinese
activists on organizational and advocacy skills. In Hong Kong, NDI will
support online platforms and community initiatives that promote citizen-created
models of governance. NDI will also conduct a young women’s leadership
initiative.
National
Democratic Institute for International Affairs - Political Processes -
Supplement: $51,210 - Amplifying Citizens’ Voices in Hong Kong - To amplify
citizens’ voices in Hong Kong’s political reform process and provide
technical assistance to mainland Chinese activists on organizational and
advocacy skills. In Hong Kong, NDI will support online platforms and
community initiatives that promote citizen-created models of governance. NDI
will also conduct a young women’s leadership initiative for up to 20
participants from mainland China and Hong Kong.
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| NED Annual Report for 2014 Grants to Asia Regional (Hong Kong) |
NED grant to the NDI in 2015 for programs in Hong Kong
National
Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) - Promoting Public
Dialogue on Political Reform in Hong Kong and China - $343,750 - To promote public
dialogue on political reform in Hong Kong and China. The institute will
conduct an expert assessment mission to Hong Kong and draft a report for
public dissemination and distribution to the diplomatic community,
policymakers, and the media. The institute will invite international scholars
and experts to conduct public seminars on comparative models of governance, and
will also host workshops on legal advocacy to enable victims of violence to
pursue protection, compensation, and justice.
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| NED Annual Report for 2015 Grants to Asia Regional (Hong Kong) |
4. Chris Smith
and Conflict of Interest
Finally, we would
like Chris Smith to explain to both the President and the people of Hong Kong
how the US Congress can allocate US Government funds to the NED for work in
Hong Kong and China and he can sit as Chair of a Congressional Commission
commenting on Hong Kong and China and yet does not declare a Conflict of
Interest in his role and his Commission makes no mention of the NED or its
funding.
5. Message to
Chris Smith
The reason for
raising this is because, if this is what US Democracy really means, you can
keep it. Get out of Hong Kong, stop interfering in Hong Kong’s internal affairs
and leave us to settle our own affairs through the high degree of autonomy that
China has been so graceful to bestow upon us! We don’t need your interference.
Through your
stupid meddling, America has cost Hong Kong its political future, so get out
and leave us alone, because until you stop meddling, there will be no trust
between Hong Kong and Beijing and we will never be able to make any progress on
political reform.
Capiche?
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