"We stand as one": Hong Kong activist with Pelosi

Hong Kong pro-democracy leaders, including Joshua Wong who led the 'Umbrella Movement,' met with U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Republican Congressman Chris Smith as they champion the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, that would require an annual review of the special treatment Washington gives Hong Kong, including trade and business privileges.

The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act would also make officials in China and Hong Kong, who have undermined the city's autonomy, vulnerable to sanctions.

The activists have been protesting for three months. The trigger for the unrest was an extradition bill, now withdrawn, that would have allowed people to be sent from Hong Kong to mainland China for trial.

Protests have continued in Hong Kong despite the withdrawal of the extradition bill and demonstrators' demands have broadened to include universal suffrage and an independent inquiry into their complaints of excessive force by the police.

The U.S. legislation has not yet come up for a vote, but the Senate Foreign Relations and House Foreign Affairs committees are both holding hearings this week - separate from the executive commission's session - expected to address U.S. relations with China on issues including Hong Kong.

U.S. President Donald Trump caused alarm among those sympathetic to the Hong Kong protests when in early August he described the protests as riots. He has since called on China to end the discord in a humanitarian way and said a crackdown could make his efforts to end a damaging trade war with China "very hard."