CPA sent the following the letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai urging that the Biden-Harris administration end Hong Kong’s status in the WTO GPA in light of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) takeover of the Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the end of the “One Country, Two Systems” arrangement.
Dear Ambassador Tai:
We write today requesting that you end Hong Kong’s status in the WTO GPA in light of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) takeover of the Special Administrative Region (SAR) and the end of the “One Country, Two Systems” arrangement.
Hong Kong acceded to the WTO’s GPA as a developing member in 1997 and, as a result, agreed to reciprocal obligations regarding domestic procurement. However, China never signed on to the GPA and has not agreed to open its government procurement market to U.S. suppliers.
The changes Beijing adopted to Hong Kong’s electoral system raise serious concern about Hong Kong’s continued status in the GPA. These revisions will only continue to advance the CCP’s ever tightening grip on Hong Kong’s’ autonomy and basic freedoms. These actions also violate Beijing’s binding international commitments under the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration and Hong Kong’s Basic Law.
On Friday, the Biden-Harris Administration released an inter-agency advisory to businesses cautioning against the “growing risks associated with actions undertaken by the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR).”
The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) supports raising the alarm about the end of the “One Country, Two Systems” arrangement and the risks associated with the CCP’s efforts to undermine the rule of law in Hong Kong.
However, we must point out that the United States’ continued extension of our WTO GPA concessions to suppliers in the Chinese province of Hong Kong is undermining these advisories issued to private business. Furthermore, it undermines the Build Back Better agenda.
The CCP poses the greatest economic and national security risk to the United States. In just its first year, the Biden-Harris administration has already taken multiple actions to address the threat posed by companies that support the CCP’s campaign of evil, including its use of forced labor and genocide against the Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
The status quo cannot be ignored. If the United States provides the same preferences to Hong Kong goods as it does for domestic or European goods under the GPA, it will reward China, undermine U.S. economic and national security, and violate the spirit of your recent advisory.
We ask that the Biden-Harris Administration end any GPA concessions granted to Hong Kong because it can no longer be distinguished from China. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Zach Mottl, Chairman Michael Stumo, CEO
Coalition for a Prosperous America Coalition for a Prosperous America
