17. Strongly welcomes the steps taken by the UK, Australia and Canada to open schemes to offer Hong Kong citizens the opportunity to live and work in their respective countries; reiterates its urgent call on the Member States to coordinate the implementation of a ‘lifeboat scheme’ for pro-democracy activists and political leaders in Hong Kong following this escalating deterioration of human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to issue emergency travel documents for journalists in Hong Kong who are at risk of arrest under the NSL; 18. Urges all EU and European diplomatic personnel to do everything they can to provide protection and support to peaceful activists and political leaders in Hong Kong, including also attending trials, requesting prison visits and consistently and resolutely reaching out to local authorities, in full application of the EU Guidelines on human rights defenders and other relevant EU policies, including the new EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy; expects the EEAS and the Council to devise concrete measures to increase support to Hong Kong civil society and media, such as extending the scope of the European Endowment for Democracy to projects located in South-East Asia, and including active engagement with the Hong Kong diaspora; 19. Calls for the EU and the Member States to ensure that the silenced people of Hong Kong are given a voice once more by assisting with the archiving, publicising and documenting of human rights violations, and to counteract the PRC by making books that are banned in Hong Kong widely available online; expresses its support for efforts by international television channels, such as Deutsche Welle and France 24, to regularly report about developments in Hong Kong; 20. Calls on the Commission, the Council and the Member States to decline invitations for government representatives and diplomats to attend the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics unless the Chinese Government demonstrates a verifiable improvement in the human rights situation in Hong Kong, the Xinjiang Uyghur Region, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and elsewhere in China; 21. Urges the Commission and the Member States to increase the number of academic and training opportunities within the Erasmus programme for students and young graduates from Hong Kong; calls on the EEAS and the Commission to develop and coordinate measures to protect the academic freedom of Hong Kong students and scientists at European universities from pressure from the Chinese authorities; 22. Reiterates its call for the EU and all its Member States to work in a united and resolute fashion towards the holding of a special session or urgent debate on China at the UN Human Rights Council and the launching of an independent UN investigation on China; highlights the growing international support for the launching of an independent inquiry; 23. Calls for the EU and its Member States to encourage the UN Secretary-General to consider all mechanisms at his disposal to ensure independent monitoring and reporting on the situation in China, including the appointment of a UN Special Envoy; calls on the Council and the VP/HR to work with the international community to establish an international contact group on Hong Kong, and to put Hong Kong on the agenda of other international organisations on a regular basis; 24. Encourages UN members to hold regular public events to raise awareness about the Chinese Government’s grave human rights violations, including crimes against humanity,