The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) Certification Act forces a review of the preferential treatment that Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETOs) currently receive under U.S. Law.
HKETO may have deserved special treatment when they represented a relatively autonomous Hong Kong; they now operate as little more than propaganda machines for the Chinese Communist Party. (Works include hiring US lobbyists to lobby on behalf of the Hong Kong Government under the CCP's influence).
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HKETOs are official representative offices of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. They were founded after the British handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1997, and intended to deepen economic, trade, investment, and cultural ties between Hong Kong and the U.S. HKETOs currently operate in New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. They serve no consular functions, but U.S. law gives the offices and their employees diplomatic privileges, exemptions, and immunities. In the treaty governing the handover, the PRC committed to affording Hong Kong a "high degree of autonomy." Permission to operate HETOs in the United States was predicated on the understanding that the PRC would honor that commitment. Over the last several years, the PRC has instead thoroughly abrogated this commitment. In June 2020, the PRC tightened its grip on the city with the passage of the draconian National Security Law, which targets the basic freedoms and independence once enjoyed by the people of Hong Kong. The sad fact is that Hong Kong can no longer claim autonomous status as the U.S. recognized following the enactment of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019. Allowing the PRC to operate a separate diplomatic office in the U.S. now confers a privilege on that it does not deserve.
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Certification Act would require the President to make an annual certification that HKETOs merit the extension of the privileges and immunities they currently receive. It also stipulates that if Congress adopts a resolution disapproving that certification, the administration would have to revoke their status.
1. Address your audience accurately 2. A Welcoming Mindset 3. Your Call/Meeting with Legislators/Staffers 4. The Who, What, When, and Why of Your Ask 5. Post-Meeting Manners
1. Address your audience accurately
Senate - Senator House of Representative - Rep./Congressman/Congresswoman
Try to understand the roles of who you’re talking to:
Senior Staffs - Legislative Director, Chief Of Staff, Deputy COS, Communications Director, state director Junior Staffs - Legislative Assistant, Legislative Correspondent, Staff Assistant
2. A Welcoming Mindset
- Most staff will have questions ready and inevitably some pushback. - Be open minded to clarify, don’t get defensive. - Acknowledge policy flaws and political obstacles. - Self-awareness of what can realistically be done is very important. - Always offer to answer in the follow-up email with more details. - If you don't have a good answer, always offer to come.
3. Your Call/Meeting with Legislators/Staffers
- Keep group as small as possible, be it in person or virtual - Personal connection is essential to deliver your story - Staffers need to feel motivated to push with their boss(es) - Always end the meeting early — give staffers 10 minutes, which they'll be very thankful
4. The Who, What, When, and Why of Your Ask
- Who does it matter to? - What are we asking for? - When does this matter? E.g. asap? Time is of essence - Why should America help?
Provide only as much background as necessary — staffers handle a large portfolio of issues, often over 10 so while background is important, remember they won't be policy experts in every area and they aren't asked to be, especially in the House.
Understand the nature of our requests: Members and staff are often motivated by a constituent impact, in our case we must recognize we don 't have a natural constituency for them as is nearly all cases when discussing foreign, not domestic, issues so our personal stories are even more important
5. Post-Meeting Manners
- Always send a follow-up email - Ask them how you can be helpful - Offer to stay in touch and provide follow-up materials - Keep materials to I page - Give them a reasonable amount of time to respond, at least 48 hours and only follow-up when necessary - Try to avoid phone calls and stick to email
