Political Quotes

“a week ago, I stood in this Chamber and spoke about the death of democracy. I spoke about how free people are slowly losing their basic liberties right in front of our eyes. I spoke about how deeply oppressive regimes are defiling laws and tearing up treaties that offer protections and peace. I spoke about how the bright light of a great city is descending into darkness and chaos. I spoke about the plight of the people of Hong Kong. I take this opportunity to remind everyone, both at home and those listening abroad, about the urgent and existential crisis that plagues this outpost of liberty in the Indo-Pacific. On May 28, the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing adopted a resolution and began drafting a new national security law in Hong Kong. That is what they call it, anyway. But the more we learn about this impending legislation, the more concerned we should be. That is because we know that this is no legitimate law. I will tell you what this is. It is a dictate from a dictatorship, and its passage will deal a mortal blow to the freedoms and liberties that Hongkongers have enjoyed for decades now. It is a permanent break from the one country-two systems principle that has governed that city since 1997, the principle to which Beijing committed in the 1984 Sino- British Treaty, when they also committed to upholding the basic rights and liberties of the people of Hong Kong. Beijing wants to violate all of that now.…”