The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Hong Kong People’s Freedom and Choice Act on Monday. The bill that promises protection to Hongkongers fleeing political persecution is now submitted to the Senate for consideration.

With the U.S. Senate set to adjourn in two weeks, Samuel Chu, managing director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council, said he will continue to lobby the Senate to pass the bill as soon as possible. However, if the bill cannot be passed and signed into law within the year, it will be raised again in the next term.

Recent events of political crackdown, such as the imprisonment of activists Joshua Wong, Ivan Lam and Agnes Chow and the detention of Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai in custody, have no doubt accelerated the passage of the bill, which was passed unanimously by way of a suspension motion.

“Most of the persecuted refugees in the past came from the Third World or developing countries. But Hong Kong’s situation is unique in the sense that most residents still remain in the city. Traditional refugee policy therefore does not apply to everyone,” said Chu.

He said the bill can protect Hong Kong citizens who are now in the United States and may have a chance of being politically persecuted, while expediting the processing of refugee applications from Hong Kong residents fleeing political persecution.

Though the expeditious passage of the bill was encouraging, the Senate will adjourn next weekend before beginning the next legislative session. The bill will be invalid if it is not passed by the Senate and signed into law within the two-week period.

He hopes the Senate can discuss the bill before they are adjourned for the year, so that the next Senate will know the amount of support it receives. As the Biden administration is more likely to relax refugee rules, there is a higher chance he will sign similar bills into law, Chu added.

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