#TaxpayersMoney
Hong Kong Free Press: Hong Kong govt’s spends multi-million dollar in US lobbying operation
//HKFP has reviewed years worth of disclosure filings submitted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (#HKTDC) and its lobbying firms as part of requirements under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (#FARA), and found that the Hong Kong government lobbied US politicians specifically on the Act in at least six in-person meetings, after massive protests broke out in Hong Kong in 2014, and again in 2019.
The HKTDC paid close to HK$84 million (US$10.8 million) to US lobbying firms from 2014 to 2020, according to data provided by the Centre for Responsive Politics. It also received a total of HK$374 million (US$48.2 million) from its head office to cover expenses that require FARA disclosure during this time.
The HKTDC was just one of the myriad of entities among the China lobby that tried to influence US policies by making a case for mutual economic interests to American legislators, Hong Kong Democracy Council activist Samuel Chu said.
“Instead of them going directly [to say] that ‘we wanted to push back on the human rights and democracy part of the law,’ they send the trade and business people to say that the bill is bad,” said Chu.//
Read full article:
hongkongfp.com/2021/04/19/inside-hong-kong-govts-multi-million-dollar-lobbying-operation-on-capitol-hill/
Source: HKFP #Apr19
#FailedState #Interference #Lobby #Capitol
Hong Kong Free Press: Hong Kong govt’s spends multi-million dollar in US lobbying operation
//HKFP has reviewed years worth of disclosure filings submitted by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (#HKTDC) and its lobbying firms as part of requirements under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (#FARA), and found that the Hong Kong government lobbied US politicians specifically on the Act in at least six in-person meetings, after massive protests broke out in Hong Kong in 2014, and again in 2019.
The HKTDC paid close to HK$84 million (US$10.8 million) to US lobbying firms from 2014 to 2020, according to data provided by the Centre for Responsive Politics. It also received a total of HK$374 million (US$48.2 million) from its head office to cover expenses that require FARA disclosure during this time.
The HKTDC was just one of the myriad of entities among the China lobby that tried to influence US policies by making a case for mutual economic interests to American legislators, Hong Kong Democracy Council activist Samuel Chu said.
“Instead of them going directly [to say] that ‘we wanted to push back on the human rights and democracy part of the law,’ they send the trade and business people to say that the bill is bad,” said Chu.//
Read full article:
hongkongfp.com/2021/04/19/inside-hong-kong-govts-multi-million-dollar-lobbying-operation-on-capitol-hill/
Source: HKFP #Apr19
#FailedState #Interference #Lobby #Capitol
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
Exclusive: Inside the Hong Kong govt’s multi-million dollar US lobbying operation
When celebrity Hong Kong activists Joshua Wong and Denise Ho flew to the United States to testify before Congress about protests in the city and to lobby its members on a law that paved way for US …