The House of Representatives on Tuesday voiced strong support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong by passing a measure that would require the US executive branch to conduct annual reviews to determine if the Chinese territory should continue to receive preferential trade status from Washington.
The House passed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act along with other measures designed to put pressure on the Hong Kong government as it clamps down on protests that have roiled the Asian financial hub for four months. The Senate is considering a similar measure but no date has been set for a vote in the chamber.
The move comes as the US Congress and Trump administration adopt increasingly tough stances on China over everything from its human rights abuses in Xinjiang to its efforts to stamp out free speech in Hong Kong. The state department last week said it would restrict visas for Chinese officials who were assessed to have connections to Communist party policies involving the mass detention of Muslim Uighurs in northwestern China.