Oregon senator condemns the jailing of Anna Kwok’s father and demands Congress shut down Beijing’s surveillance offices on American soil
A Senator Draws a Direct Line from Hong Kong to Washington
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley did not mince words when he learned that a 69-year-old man in Hong Kong had been sentenced to eight months in prison for trying to withdraw money from a childhood insurance policy he had bought for his daughter. “The United States must never back down in the face of China’s campaign of global repression,” Merkley said in a statement released on February 26 as Kwok Yin-sang was led back into custody. Kwok’s daughter Anna is the executive director of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council and one of 34 pro-democracy advocates wanted by Hong Kong national security police under bounties worth HK$1 million each. Merkley called the prosecution a “sham trial” conducted by “a Hong Kong court acting on China’s behalf.”
What the HKETO Act Would Do
At the center of Merkley’s response is a piece of legislation he has been pushing for months: the bipartisan Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Certification Act, or HKETO Certification Act. The bill, which Merkley leads with Republican Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Republican Senator John Curtis of Utah, and Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, targets a network of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices (HKETOs) operating on American soil. HKETOs are essentially Hong Kong government outposts in the United States, operating in cities including Washington D.C., New York, and San Francisco. They were originally established to promote Hong Kong trade and commerce. But critics, including Merkley and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers, argue that under Beijing’s current rule, these offices function as instruments of Chinese Communist Party surveillance, intimidation, and intelligence gathering. “As long as this repression continues, the U.S. cannot allow China to rely on institutions such as HKETOs to enable intimidation and surveillance on American soil,” Merkley said. The bill would require the Secretary of State to certify annually whether each HKETO is operating in a manner consistent with the autonomy Beijing promised Hong Kong under the 1997 handover agreement. If an HKETO fails that test, it would lose the trade and diplomatic privileges that exempt it from normal foreign mission regulations, and could ultimately be required to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as a Chinese government lobbying operation.
The Context Behind the Legislation
Merkley is not new to this territory. As a former Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China – the bipartisan body established by Congress to monitor China’s compliance with human rights and rule of law obligations – he has led sustained oversight of Beijing’s behavior in Hong Kong for years. He has consistently argued that the HKETOs represent a unique vulnerability: official presences of what is now effectively a Beijing-controlled government operating on American soil with privileges originally designed for an autonomous territory. The Kwok Yin-sang case has brought new urgency to his bill. Anna Kwok herself called on US lawmakers to pass the HKETO Certification Act in the aftermath of her father’s conviction. She described the case as the most direct evidence yet that Beijing is weaponizing family members of overseas activists to discourage dissent.
The Pattern of Transnational Repression
The case of Kwok Yin-sang is the first but is unlikely to be the last. Hong Kong authorities have issued national security warrants and bounties against 34 overseas activists. Each of those activists has family members remaining in Hong Kong. The legal precedent set by Kwok’s prosecution means that every one of those family members is now potentially exposed to prosecution under Article 23 of Hong Kong’s domestic national security law, simply for transacting with funds in any account linked to their wanted relative. Freedom House, which tracks transnational repression globally, has identified China as one of the world’s most aggressive practitioners of this tactic. Its 2024 Transnational Repression report documented 214 direct attacks on dissidents abroad attributed to the Chinese government, more than any other country.
What Merkley Is Asking of Trump
Merkley and other pro-democracy advocates are watching closely as US President Donald Trump prepares for a visit to Beijing scheduled for March 31 to April 2. Anna Kwok, Jimmy Lai’s family members, and pro-democracy organisations have all urged Trump to raise the cases of political prisoners – including Lai and now effectively her imprisoned father – directly with Xi Jinping. Merkley’s statement implies a harder legislative demand: not just diplomatic words, but structural changes to how the US government treats Beijing’s de facto diplomatic outposts on American soil. The Hong Kong Democracy Council, which Anna Kwok directs, has consistently argued that the HKETOs should face exactly the kind of scrutiny Merkley’s bill would impose. Congress.gov carries the current text of the HKETO Certification Act for those wishing to follow its progress.
Why This Matters Beyond Hong Kong
The precedent being set in Hong Kong – that family members of overseas activists can be imprisoned for routine financial transactions – is not a Hong Kong-specific story. It is a test of how far a government can go in weaponizing the family unit against political dissent, and of whether democratic governments will respond with more than words. Merkley’s bill, however modest in its mechanism, represents an attempt to impose actual costs on Beijing’s repression infrastructure. Whether Congress will pass it – in a session dominated by domestic political battles – remains uncertain. But Anna Kwok’s father is in prison. That fact makes the theoretical more concrete and the legislative more urgent.
Senior Journalist & Editor, Apple Daily UK
Contact: athena.lai@appledaily.uk
Athena Lai is a senior journalist and editor with extensive experience in Chinese-language investigative reporting and editorial leadership. Educated at a leading journalism school in the United Kingdom, Athena received formal training in fact-checking methodology, editorial governance, and international media standards, grounding her work in globally recognized best practices.
She has held senior editorial roles at Apple Daily and other liberal Chinese publications, where she oversaw coverage of Hong Kong civil liberties, diaspora politics, rule of law, and press freedom. Athena’s reporting is distinguished by disciplined sourcing, cross-verification, and a clear separation between factual reporting and opinion, reinforcing reader trust.
Beyond reporting, Athena has served as an editor responsible for mentoring journalists, enforcing ethical guidelines, and managing sensitive investigations. Her newsroom leadership reflects real-world experience navigating legal risk, source protection, and editorial independence under pressure.
Athena’s authority comes from both her byline history and her editorial stewardship. She has reviewed and approved hundreds of articles, ensuring compliance with defamation standards, accuracy benchmarks, and responsible language use. Her work demonstrates lived experience within high-stakes news environments rather than theoretical expertise.
Committed to journalistic integrity, Athena believes credible journalism is built on transparency, accountability, and institutional memory. Her role at Apple Daily UK reflects that commitment, positioning her as a trusted voice within independent Chinese media.
