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ACHK Condemns the Mass-Arrest of 15 Pro-Democracy Leaders in Hong Kong

OTTAWA, ON (April 19, 2020) – Alliance Canada Hong Kong (ACHK) condemns the mass-arrest and charges of 15 pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong on April 18th.

“We are outraged by the arrests, which are an act of intimidation and harassment against political opponents,” said Cherie Wong, ACHK’s Executive Director. “Beijing has no intention to hide their oppressive agenda. Instead, the Chinese party-state is weaponizing law enforcement to suppress political differences.”

The arrests of Martin Lee, Margaret Ng, Jimmy Lai, Leung Yiu-chung, Avery Ng, Lee Cheuk-yan, Leung Kwok-hung (“long hair”), Albert Ho, Figo Chan, Sin Chung-kai, Cyd Ho, Au Nok-hin, Yeung Sum, Raphael Wong, and Richard Tsoi reveal Beijing’s plan to silence Hong Kong’s opposition and impose a draconian “national security law” (Article 23) in advance of September’s Hong Kong Legislative Council elections.

ACHK is disgusted by the arrest of veteran activists Martin Lee (age 81), Margaret Ng (72), and Jimmy Lai (71), who are particularly vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. These arrests are not only a blatant violation of these activists’ fundamental rights and freedoms, but also a threat to their health and safety.

ACHK calls for the immediate unconditional release and dismissal of charges for all of the pro-democracy activists.

“We cannot let Beijing’s crackdown on Hong Kong continue under the cover of COVID-19,” said Alex Ra Lee, ACHK’s Director of Strategy and Policy. “Canadians must remember that Beijing’s reach extends not only into Hong Kong, but into Canada as well. We must stand with our friends in Hong Kong by holding Chinese officials accountable for human rights atrocities and police brutality, and providing humanitarian support to all of those seeking asylum from the Chinese Communist Party.”

ACHK recently issued Five Demands for the Canadian Government and invites all Canadians to Stand with Hong Kong by joining their campaign.


ACHK supports and welcomes Taiwanese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Chinese, and other communities who are suffering from persecution by the Chinese Communist Party. ACHK stands in solidarity with Indigenous and marginalized communities both within Canada and abroad. alliancecanadahk.com | [email protected]

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ACHK Stands in Solidarity with Medical Professionals

Alliance Canada Hong Kong (ACHK) stands in solidarity with medical professionals in Hong Kong, China, and around the globe. Medical professionals, from Hong Kong to Wuhan, are working overtime with a shortage of medical supplies and unsafe workplace. Despite the dangerous conditions, the medical industry are stepping up as frontline fighters of the ongoing 2019-nCoV outbreak.

ACHK supports medical professionals, including but not limited to doctors, nurses, researchers, first responders, who have always prioritized patients’ health and well-being.

Dr. Li Wenliang and his colleagues from Wuhan were suppressed by the Chinese party-state for trying to raise attention to the virus outbreak. On Feb 7, Dr. Li passed away from the virus infection. There have been conflicting reports about the time of Dr. Li’s death. ACHK is wary of the state-level misinformation and media campaigns to manipulate news of Dr. Li’s death for a favourable discourse. We must remain critical of Chinese state media’s narratives and misinformation.

In this healthcare crisis, ACHK stands in support of Hong Kong medical professionals who were on strike against the Hong Kong Government, who has failed to respond to the healthcare industry’s requests and advice. Carrie Lam and her government have failed to support medical professionals, who are putting their lives on the line to support patients in Hong Kong.


ACHK supports and welcomes Taiwanese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Chinese, and other communities who are suffering from persecution by the Chinese Communist Party. ACHK stands in solidarity with Indigenous and marginalized communities both within Canada and abroad. alliancecanadahk.com | [email protected]

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Announcements Op Eds

Why I stand with Hong Kong & why all Canadians should too

Originally published at Hill Times

Why I stand with Hong Kong & why all Canadians should too

Canadians’ press freedom, politics, and education are threatened by the authoritarian overreach of Beijing, writes Alex Lee of Alliance Canada Hong Kong.

The world has been mesmerized with the scenes from Hong Kong’s protests. The shocking footage of police brutality is juxtaposed alongside scenes of strength and bravery against the threats, violence, and authoritarianism of China’s Communist Party. The Communist Party threatens not only the freedom and security of Hong Kongers, but of Canadians and around the world.

Hong Kong matters to Canadians, not only because it is a global financial centre and trading hub, or that there are more Canadians there (roughly 300,00) than in Windsor, Ont., or Saskatoon. (Both Canadian cities have a population of under 300,000.) Hong Kong is also on the front lines of a global stealth war waged by the Communist Party—a war that Canadians are a part of, whether we realize it or not. As per David Mulroney, former Canadian ambassador to China, the party is “the greatest threat to human freedom on the planet.”

In the past two years alone, the Chinese government has kidnapped Canadian citizens, threatened punitive measures against Canada, conducted widespread industrial espionage against Canadian firms, and marshalled attacks on students in Canadian university campuses. Canadians’ press freedom, politics, and education are threatened by the authoritarian overreach of Beijing.

There is a more personal reason why Hong Kong matters. I grew up in Toronto during the 1990s, when thousands of Hong Kong families, fearful of their city’s 1997 return to Chinese control, immigrated to Canada. These immigrants and their children became my cherished childhood friends, and remain as such today.

The woman shot in the eye by a Hong Kong police officer could easily have been Ellie, the first friend I made in kindergarten at a Toronto-area Christian Academy. When riot police indiscriminately beat passengers on the Hong Kong metro, one of the victims could have been Edward, who moved to Canada at seven years old and was delighted when he saw his first snowfall.

The fact that Ellie and Edward grew up Canadian is an accident of history. They could just have easily been harmed as a result of Hong Kong indiscriminate police brutality. When I see students courageously defending their home, supported by an army of parents and community members, I see them as no different from Canadians. They are standing up for the values enshrined in our Charter of Rights and Freedom. And, as Canadians, we should stand with them.

Ottawa is belatedly waking up. Senators Leo Housakos and Thanh Hai Ngo are introducing a motion calling for Magnitsky sanctions on officials of both Hong Kong and China who violate human rights, justice, and the rule of law. These should be applied not only in regards to Hong Kong, but the genocide and internment of over one million Uyghur Muslims in concentration camps. We have not hesitated in applying Magnitsky sanctions against many other countries, and China should be no exception.

China’s ambassador, Cong Peiwu, threatened our government twice against such sanctions, saying that there would be “very firm countermeasures.” We must not bow to these threats.

The Senate is not the only legislative body taking action. An increasing number of MPs are speaking out against the Chinese Communist Party’s atrocities and interference in Canadian affairs. And a newly created parliamentary special committee will probe the increasingly strained Canada-China relationship.

Although all Liberals voted against the committee’s creation in December, a Liberal MP told me privately that they, and some of their colleagues, were supportive of the motion. And thankfully so: defending human rights, national security, and combatting foreign interference must not be partisan issues. Parliament is taking action, and our leaders are unifying against the threat from China’s Communist Party. Belatedly, we’re all beginning to stand with Hong Kong, as they have stood by us. Canadians, Hong Kongers, and the world will be better for it.

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Announcements Press Releases

Canadians and Hong Kongers united behind “Canadian 5 demands”

Canadians and Hong Kongers united behind “Canadian Five demands”

VANCOUVER, BC (January 21, 2020) – Ottawa’s inaction over Beijing’s gross violation of human rights has driven Hong Kong Canadians into a grassroots, youth-led, community-based alliance, forging as a unified voice of the Hong Kong Canadian community.

Alliance Canada Hong Kong (ACHK) fills an important gap in the Canadian society. Under the current federal leadership, Canada has turned a blind eye and continues to ignore Beijing’s human rights violations, to advance economic and trade relations with China. ACHK condemns the Government of Canada’s bystander position in the face of state-sanctioned genocide and humanitarian crisis.

“Hong Kong is standing alone on the frontline against the tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party,” said Davin Wong, Former President of Hong Kong University Student Union and ACHK’s Director of Youth Engagement and Policy Initiatives. “The Government of Canada must stand up against Beijing’s overreach, which is even happening here on Canadian soil.”

ACHK demands immediate action from the Canadian Government.

To determine community sentiments, ACHK, along with Citizens’ Press Conference (CPC) — a Hong Kong-based media organization — conducted a community consultation survey to inform ACHK’s national advocacy direction and political campaign. The survey was targeted to Canadians and Hong Kongers, and over 13,000 individuals participated; Canadian respondents are hailed from all regions of Canada.

Survey results indicate strong support for invoking Magnitsky sanctions and supporting Hong Kongers who are seeking asylum in Canada. Canadian participants highlighted the need to examine foreign interference by the Chinese Communist Party in Canadian’s private and public institutions.

“As a progressive, my peers argue that human rights are not a partisan issue. Yet I am deeply disappointed by the silence of the progressive community on the issues of China’s authoritarian ambitions and blatant violation of human rights,” said Cherie Wong, Executive Director for ACHK. “I am calling on the progressive leadership in Canada, why do you remain silent and complicit in the face of Beijing’s violent oppression?”

ACHK and the Canada-Hong Kong community urge the Government of Canada to support the following “Canadian Five Demands”:

1) Hold officials accountable for human rights atrocities, police brutality, and erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy by banning, sanctioning, and freezing the assets of Chinese Communist Party officials, Hong Kong Government officials, and the Hong Kong Police Force officials, as per the Justice for the Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act (Sergei Magnitsky Law) (S.C. 2017, c. 21);

2) Provide humanitarian support for Hong Kongers, Tibetans, Uyghurs, Chinese, and other groups seeking asylum from the Chinese Communist Party;

3) Protect Canadians’ fundamental freedom from erosion, and proactively combat Chinese Communist Party interference in Canadian society;

4) Investigate and combat foreign interference into Canadian institutions, including state-funded and/or affiliated Chinese Students and Scholars Associations, Confucius Institutes, and other state-sponsored political, cultural and private events, trips, expenses, and gifts, through a national registry of foreign agents and national foreign influence transparency legislation;

5) End all exports of military/police goods and technology to China that are used for human rights violations by the Chinese Communist Party.

ACHK welcomes Canadians to join its campaign here to encourage Canadian politicians to support these five demands.

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ACHK supports and welcomes Taiwanese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Chinese, and other communities who are suffering from persecution by the Chinese Communist Party. ACHK stands in solidarity with Indigenous and marginalized communities both within Canada and abroad. alliancecanadahk.com | [email protected]

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ACHK’s Campaign Plan Relased

ACHK is proud to release the first version of its campaign plan. The document is available for download here.

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Announcements Press Releases

Alliance Canada Hong Kong & Citizen Press Conference launch Community Consultation for Canadian Five Demands

VANCOUVER, BC (January 15, 2020) – Alliance Canada Hong Kong (ACHK) launches as a unified voice to promote democracy and human rights in Canada and Hong Kong. The collective strives to empower Hong Kong-Canadian communities for civil, social, and political change in Canada, to rally Canadians and Canadian political leaders to support the democratic movement in Hong Kong, and to combat the influence of the Chinese Communist Party.

“Hong Kong is on the frontline against the autocracy of the Chinese Communist Party,” said Davin Wong, ACHK’s Director of Youth Engagement. “We must stand up and fight back against efforts to interfere and corrupt free societies, alongside our friends in Hong Kong and around the world.”

ACHK recognizes that the Chinese Communist Party threatens not only the freedom of Hong Kongers, but of Canadians and our allies around the world. ACHK fills a political vacuum in Canada for thoughtful analysis on the increasingly strained Canada-China relationship. In the past two years alone, the Chinese government has kidnapped Canadian citizens, threatened Canadian leaders, conducted widespread industrial espionage against Canadian firms, and marshalled students to harass Hong Kongers on Canadian university campuses.

“As a Canadian and a Hong Konger, I live with a privilege that my peers in Hong Kong do not share, tohave freedom to political engagement means I have an obligation to stand up for Hong Kong’s liberty and fundamental freedoms,” said Cherie Wong, Executive Director of ACHK. “We are committed to empower Hong Kongers and allies in Canada to take action in support of the city’s democratic transformation.”

In cooperation with Citizen’s Press Conference, a Hong Kong-based media organization, ACHK is immediately releasing a community consultation survey targeted to Hong Kongers and Canadians. The consultation seeks to identify the concerns of the Hong Kong-Canadian community and develop policy solutions to mitigate them.

ACHK supports and welcomes Taiwanese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Chinese, and other communities who are suffering from persecution by the Chinese Communist Party. ACHK stands in solidarity with Indigenous and marginalized communities both within Canada and abroad. 

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ACHK Invites Community Groups to Join the Collective

Alliance Canada Hong Kong is a national campaign plan driven by pro-democracy Hong Kongers in Canada. We are assembling a collective to mobilize and empower Canada-Hong Kong community groups to take political action, and to create a nation-wide Hong Konger community. At the same time we will engage with politicians and staffers to lobby and push for political action to support Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. The ultimate goal is to create legislative change in Canada to support democracy and human rights in Hong Kong.