Hong Kong is becoming hub for financial crime, US lawmakers say

Leading China hawks in the U.S. House of Representatives are calling for a rethink on whether Hong Kong should continue to enjoy the cozy banking relationship it has with the U.S., saying the city is becoming a hub for money-laundering and sanctions evasion.

Hong Kong has turned into a major center for the export of controlled Western technology to Russia; the creation of front companies to buy Iranian oil; the managing of “ghost ships” that serve North Korea, as well as other violations of U.S. trade controls, the bipartisan leaders of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party said in a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

The letter was signed by Rep. John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican who chairs the committee, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, an Illinois Democrat who is the committee’s ranking member. The Wall Street Journal reviewed a draft of the letter, which is scheduled to be publicly released on Monday.

“Hong Kong has shifted from a trusted global financial center to a critical player in the deepening authoritarian axis of the People’s Republic of China, Iran, Russia and North Korea,” the lawmakers said. “We must now question whether longstanding U.S. policy towards Hong Kong, particularly towards its financial and banking sector, is appropriate.”

The lawmakers cited research, for example, that shows that nearly 40% of goods shipped from Hong Kong to Russia in 2023 were high-priority items such as semiconductors that Russia could use to prosecute its war in Ukraine.

Both lawmakers have worked extensively in the past with President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of state, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, on China-related issues, including efforts to force TikTok’s Chinese owners to sell the app.

A representative for Yellen didn’t respond to a request for comment, nor did Hong Kong’s trade office in New York.

The two lawmakers, whose committee focuses on competition with China and frequently makes bipartisan calls for a tougher approach to the country, asked Treasury for information on how it intends to combat money-laundering and sanctions evasion that use Hong Kong’s financial system.

Hong Kong, which has a special status within China, has seen its role as a global financial hub increasingly come into question as Beijing has muscled the city closer into its orbit, driving an exodus of expatriates. U.S. officials in particular have condemned Hong Kong authorities’ crackdown on dissidents under a tough national security law, though many Western banks have continued to do some business there.

Last week, a court in Hong Kong sentenced dozens of pro-democracy advocates for what Communist Party leadership viewed as subversion under that law. The Biden administration has called for their immediate and unconditional release. The government of the Hong Kong special administrative region said attacks on the “fair and open” sentencing are smears.

The same day, a Hong Kong government-sponsored financial summit played host to a number of global financial leaders, including Goldman Sachs Chairman David Solomon, Citi Chief Executive Jane Fraser and State Street CEO Ronald O’Hanley, according to a program of the event. Leaders from HSBC, BNP Paribas and other institutions also attended.

Banking leaders didn’t publicly discuss the court proceedings on the summit’s panels. A spokesman for State Street confirmed O’Hanley’s attendance. A spokeswoman for Citi declined to comment. Representatives for the other banks didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Earlier this month, Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi called on the Biden administration to sanction Hong Kong police, judges and prosecutors for their role in the arbitrary detentions of human-rights activists.

Rebecca Feng contributed to this article.

Write to Richard Vanderford at Richard.Vanderford@wsj.com