Marco Rubio Urges John Kerry to Stand Up to China on Hong Kong

China has been on the foreign policy backburner in recent months as the Middle East and other hot spots command more attention. But, as the ranking Republican on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., called on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to stand up to Chinas creeping influence over Hong Kong.

Rubio wrote Kerry on Monday taking exception to China refusing to allow Hong Kong to choose its own chief executive and rely instead on candidates selected by the communist regime.

The NPCSCs decision violates the international commitments China has made regarding Hong Kongs status, Rubio wrote. The people of Hong Kong have the right to elect their chief executive through democratic procedure, not be forced to pick from a pool of Chinese government-approved candidates.

I urge you to clearly speak out against this most recent decision by NPCSC and to work with your Chinese counterparts to ensure that Beijing does not further limit Hong Kongs promised autonomy and its ability to move toward full democracy if its citizens so intend, Rubio added. If Hong Kong continues down this dangerous path, Congress may need to consider reviewing the special trade and economic provisions Hong Kong enjoys as an autonomous region of China under U.S. law.