U.S. Senate Foreign Relations chairman hopes Hong Kong bill will move soon

Senator Jim Risch, the Republican chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Tuesday he hoped that the full Senate would vote soon on legislation that would require the State Department to evaluate, at least once per year, whether Hong Kong had retained its autonomy.

The House of Representatives passed similar legislation on Tuesday, requiring certification that Hong Kong retained its autonomy from Beijing in order to keep receiving the special treatment that has allowed it to be a major financial center.