Title 22, Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-102

§5714 Transportation

Title 22 › CHAPTER 66 — UNITED STATES-HONG KONG POLICY › SUBCHAPTER I — POLICY › § 5714

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

After June 30, 1997, Congress says the United States should keep treating Hong Kong as a place whose ships and airplanes it will accept, and the U.S. should make air service deals directly with Hong Kong. The U.S. should let American commercial ships call at Hong Kong under U.S. and Hong Kong law. The U.S. should accept Hong Kong-issued airline licenses for Hong Kong carriers and accept Hong Kong-issued certificates for U.S. carriers on flights that only go to, from, or through Hong Kong and not other parts of the People’s Republic of China. When authorized by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the U.S. should negotiate with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to renew or make air service agreements for such flights and try to make those agreements promote competition.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §5714

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

It is the sense of the Congress that the following, which are based in part on the relevant provisions of the Joint Declaration, should be the policy of the United States after June 30, 1997, with respect to transportation from Hong Kong:

(1)Recognizing Hong Kong’s position as an international transport center, the United States should continue to recognize ships and airplanes registered in Hong Kong and should negotiate air service agreements directly with Hong Kong.

(2)The United States should continue to recognize ships registered by Hong Kong.

(3)United States commercial ships, in accordance with applicable United States and Hong Kong law, should remain free to port in Hong Kong.

(4)The United States should continue to recognize airplanes registered by Hong Kong in accordance with applicable laws of the People’s Republic of China.

(5)The United States should recognize licenses issued by the Hong Kong to Hong Kong airlines.

(6)The United States should recognize certificates issued by the Hong Kong to United States air carriers for air service involving travel to, from, or through Hong Kong which does not involve travel to, from, or through other parts of the People’s Republic of China.

(7)The United States should negotiate at the appropriate time directly with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, acting under authorization from the Government of the People’s Republic of China, to renew or amend all air service agreements existing on June 30, 1997, and to conclude new air service agreements affecting all flights to, from, or through the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region which do not involve travel to, from, or through other parts of the People’s Republic of China.

(8)The United States should make every effort to ensure that the negotiations described in paragraph (7) lead to procompetitive air service agreements.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 5714

Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102