(28 May 2020) Hong Kongers reacted with dismay on Thursday after China's national legislature in Beijing ratified a proposal to impose a new national security law on Hong Kong.
Office workers out on the streets of busy business and shopping district Central moved around under the watchful eyes of masses of police in riot gear, which have become a common sight.
Hong Kong's government has insisted that the new security law will only affect a small minority of people, and tried to reassure citizens that for most, life will continue as normal.
But there is a strong current of concern about the new law, and the way in which it is being imposed on Hong Kong. It will be promulgated by the government, bypassing the Legislative Council, and the people.
The last time that the Hong Kong government tried to push through a security law, in 2003, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets, and it was shelved.
According to Hong Kong's mini-constitution, the Basic Law, the territory is obliged to legislate for national security, but that has not happened since the return to China in 1997.
Even with the new security law enforced by the National People's Congress, Hong Kong is still expected to carry out its own national security legislation.
The law reflects the determination of President Xi Jinping’s government to tighten control over Hong Kong following 11 months of anti-government protests.
Activists in Hong Kong say the law will undermine the “high degree of autonomy” promised to the former British colony when it was handed back to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” framework and might be used to suppress political activity.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
