The United States’ Ineffective Response Towards Hong Kong’s National Security Law

The city of Hong Kong has undergone a dramatic political shift in recent years. Once known as a safe haven for freedom of speech and expression,1 HK is now a place where anti-Communist Party views are suppressed under the National Security Law.2 The imposition of national security legislation over HK drew wide criticism from Western nations and pro-Democracy activists. This Note will focus specifically on the United States’ response and critique its shortcomings in response to the NSL. Because the current U.S. approach fails to achieve its desired outcome of upholding HK autonomy and democracy, this Note will also set forth a recommendation for how the United States should respond moving forward to obtain a more favorable outcome