August 2, 2019

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross
US Department of State US Department of Commerce

2201 St NW 1401 Constitution Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20502 Washington, DC 20230

Dear Secretary Pompeo and Secretary Ross:

We write to ask that you suspend future sales of munitions and crowd and riot
control equipment to the Hong Kong Police Force and increase scrutiny of any direct
commercial sale of defense articles to the Government of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region.

These steps are a necessary response to credible reports of excessive force being
used by the Hong Kong police targeting individuals engaged in peaceful demonstrations
against the Hong Kong Government?s proposed extradition bill and the fast-eroding space
for political participation. Human rights groups in Hong Kong have assembled evidence
about attacks on journalists, the beating of subdued protestors, and the inappropriate use
of tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and other crowd control equipment.

The United Kingdom has suspended future sales of tear gas and other crowd control
equipment to Hong Kong until human rights concerns are addressed, and the British
government has urged the Hong Kong Government to establish an independent
investigation into the violent scenes that have been observed. We urge you to take similar
measures as soon as possible because tensions are escalating as criminal gangs
indiscriminately attack Hong Kong citizens, as occurred on July 22, 2019. A Chinese
government official recently made threats to use People?s Liberation Army forces in Hong
Kong.

Further scrutiny of the types of programs and contacts the U.S. engages in with the
Hong Kong police will be needed moving forward. We ask that you consider denying U.S.
entry visas for those individuals found to be complicit in the excessive use of force against
demonstrators and journalists, as well as those found to be colluding in attacks by criminal
gangs. We also ask that the State Department provide much more robust information on

U.S.-Hong Kong law enforcement cooperation in future Hong Kong Policy Act Reports,
required pursuant to section 301 of the U.S.-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992.

We ask that you suspend future sales of munitions and crowd and riot control
equipment to the Hong Kong Police Force and publicly announce that the US. will not
contribute to the internal repression of peaceful protest in Hong Kong. In addition, given
events of the recent days, we ask you to push back, in the strongest terms possible, against
the Hong Kong and Chinese governments? efforts to characterize the demonstrations as
?riots? and to blame the US. for political instability which they alone created.

We look forward to working with you to advance US. interests in maintaining Hong
Kong?s autonomy and the rights guaranteed to Hong Kong's citizens by the Hong Kong
Basic Law and international agreements, including the Sino-British Ioint Declaration.

Sincerely, 
H. SMITH

CHRISTO MES . 
Member of Congress ember of Congress
Co-Chair, Co-Chair,