U.S. must stand up for Hong Kong, democracy
Last November, my son surprised me and announced that he was flying to Hong Kong to stand with the pro-democracy protesters. I should not have been surprised.
He has volunteered with Syrian refugees in Turkey, hitchhiked from Russia to Morocco, and scuba dived with sharks off the coast of South Africa. I come by my gray hair honestly.
In Hong Kong, he volunteered as a medic, which largely consisted of washing tear gas out of people's eyes. He saw the bravery and commitment of the protesters, learned a lot, and saw, on his last day, the pro-democracy forces triumph in district elections.
That was then. He could not undertake such a journey today.
The new security law imposed by the central government in Beijing makes even minor offenses, such as holding up a pro-democracy sign, subject to arrest and, potentially, a long prison sentence. And foreigners would not be immune.
President Xi Jinping, now essentially president for life in China, has decided that the agreement struck with Britain in 1997 to have one country, but allow two systems is now going to come to an end, 27 years early. Whether he believes this is a good time to make this move because the world is distracted by a pandemic, or believes that the world - principally the major democracies - are too fragmented to exact a price, he has imposed a law that will brook no dissent.
In reaction, both the House and Senate have passed measures that will enact a series of sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese leaders. The White House agreed, belatedly, to the measures in the face of overwhelming bipartisan support - both the House and Senate passed the acts by unanimous consent. However, the White House has argued against stronger measures - such as abandoning the current trade deal with China or reimposing tariffs - because they could spook financial markets at a time when the global economy is particularly unsettled.
Britain has announced that up to three million Hong Kong citizens, out of a total population of 7.5 million, who were born before 1997, will have the right to resettle in Britain. The United States, and other countries, should be generous in accepting Hong Kong citizens imperiled by the new law.
Human rights and support for democracy have not been hallmarks of the Trump administration's transactional "American First" foreign policy.
Former National Security Adviser John Bolton alleges in his book that President Trump told President Xi that building the detention camps in Xinjiang Provence to hold up to one million Uighurs was the "right thing to do" and numerous journalists have reported on the president's reluctance to take actions against China that might get in the way of concluding a trade deal.
Some things, however, would seem more important than being able to sell more soybeans. In 1975, in the midst of our existential struggle with the then-Soviet Union, America and its European allies concluded the Helsinki Accords with the Soviets and their satellites. This occurred even as delicate arms control negotiations continued.
Article VII of the accords called for the "respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief." That article became a potent lever in the struggle against the Soviets. There is no reason we cannot stand up strongly to China in support of basic freedoms and still continue a dialogue on other matters, be they trade or sanctions on North Korea (something else the Chinese too often ignore).
The United States used to be the nation that stood up for human rights and democratic values and would rally democratic nations to that cause. Given our discussions, I know that my son wants to live in such a country. If the people of Hong Kong's rights have any chance to survive, the United States must be that nation again.
Keith Peterson, of Lake Barrington, served 29 years as a press and cultural officer for the United States Information Agency and Department of State. He was chief editorial writer of the Daily Herald 1984-86.