Hong Kong has very much been part of Washington’s policy discussions of late. Throughout 2019, anti-Beijing, pro-democracy protests rocked the city, rebuking China’s encroachment upon the city’s autonomy. Dismayed by the historic mass protests, China is imposing a new national security law on the city. U.S. policymakers and Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists denounce the move as effectively a ban on opposition political activity in Hong Kong and a death knell for the “one country, two systems” framework under which China had promised to govern the city until 2047. The Trump administration and the U.S. Congress have both vowed to punish China for its repression of civil liberties in Hong Kong and violations of international legal commitments made when Hong Kong reverted from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. What are the practical implications of recent U.S. legislation and the Trump administration's pronouncements? How effectively can Washington influence China's behavior in Hong Kong? We discuss with Julian Ku, Maurice A. Deane Distinguished Professor at Hofstra Law School.