Hong Kong Protests
Pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong that began in mid- September are drawing thousands of mostly young residents of the former British colony to demonstrations against Beijing’s plans to screen candidates for the first-ever elections for Hong Kong’s leader, planned for 2017. The Chinese Government wants candidates to be chosen by a committee. The protesters are demanding the direct election of Hong Kong’s chief executive. On October 9, a bipartisan group of 21 U.S. senators, led by Senators Patrick Leahy (VT-D), Roger Wicker (MS-R), and Ted Cruz (TX- R) called on President Obama to speak out and take action in support…
