News//China prepares to rule in Hong Kong
On June 19, China passed a draft of the new national security laws that will limit the freedoms Hong Kong residents have enjoyed. The security laws target four new levels of criminal offenses in Hong Kong, advocating succession from China, subverting the power of the state, involvement in terrorist activities, and collaborating with foreign forces to endanger national security.
"Without delay"
Last month at China's national meetings, Chinese officials declared the laws would be enacted “without delay.” The new national security laws could establish a police unit to enforce the new laws, along with placing secret police in Hong Kong.
Since China assumed control of Hong Kong in 1997, China has allowed a “one country, two systems” arrangement. It has allowed certain freedoms for Hong Kong.
“This [new] law fundamentally compromises one-country, two-systems, and [it is a] breach of the handover agreement. The details emerging put human rights in jeopardy,” the U.K.-based group Hong Kong Watch wrote on Twitter.
Beijing office in Hong Kong
Beijing will set up a dedicated central government office in Hong Kong to manage national security affairs, The Wall Street Journal reported. The office will be given the authority to assess Hong Kong’s security, gather and analyze intelligence, advise and supervise local authorities on national security matters and also handle select criminal cases, according to the report, which added that the office would exercise jurisdiction over “a very small number” of cases.
The office would also be empowered to oversee education about national security in Hong Kong schools. In case of any discrepancies between the new law and Hong Kong’s Basic Law, the former would supersede, according to an explanatory note published by China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Extradition likely
International Christian Concern (ICC), a U.S.-based Christian watchdog, warns, “Under such laws, vocal Hong Kong clergy who have been supportive of Hong Kong’s democracy movement, such as Cardinal Joseph Zen and Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing, could be extradited to mainland China to be tried, since Beijing considers them to be threats to the regime."
ICC also warned, “Other hundreds of protestant leaders or Christian organizations who have actively spoken out against the Hong Kong government might face the same fate, since Beijing has said it considers the mass protests that began last June as terrorist acts and any calls for Hong Kong’s independence from China as acts of sedition."
Government protests
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been openly critical of China’s attempt to usurp security powers in Hong Kong and said in late May, “Hong Kong no longer enjoys a high degree of autonomy.”
The G7, a group comprised of ministers from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the high representative of the European Union said that China’s efforts seriously jeopardize Hong Kong’s peace and success.
Sources: Fox News, Christian Post, NewsX, Harbingers Daily, Wall Street Journal, Hong Kong Watch