“Apec is an international organisation. It doesn’t belong to any country or economy. According to Apec’s rules and conventions, the organiser has the responsibility to invite members to attend … It is up to the organiser to act in accordance with these conventions,” Lee said last week.
The State Department has said the decision will be made “in accordance with US laws and regulations, and on the basis of the spirit and principles of Apec.”
In a letter sent to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in February, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman wrote: “The United States plans to invite Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee to attend Apec. As the host, we believe it is important to foster regional economic dialogue and for the United States and the PRC to work together to maintain global macroeconomic stability.”
She added, however, that an invitation did not absolve individuals of their role in “undermining protected rights and freedoms in Hong Kong”.
The four lawmakers who signed Wednesday’s letter to Blinken disagree.
“Inviting a sanctioned human rights abuser is an affront to all those who have been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Republic of China and its proxies in Hong Kong, including American citizens … as well as prominent Hong Kong leaders,” the letter said.
US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has said that Lee will be invited to the Apec forum in San Francisco. Photo: Reuters
Also on Wednesday, the House Congressional-Executive Commission on China pressed the Hong Kong government on its human rights record, urging British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to “coordinate actions on Hong Kong policy with the Biden administration” and to “publicly make the release of Jimmy Lai and other political prisoners in Hong Kong a priority”.
Sunak is in Washington for a two-day visit that will include a meeting with Biden.
Lai founded the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, known for its critical reporting on Beijing. He was arrested in 2020 on charges of fraud and collusion with foreign forces and has been in jail since.
Additional reporting by Bochen Han
