China's proposed national security law could end Hong Kong as we know it

[jmyrlefuller]

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/22/asia/hong-kong-china-national-security-law-intl-hnk/index.html

by James Griffiths
May 22, 2020

On the back of more than six months of often violent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong last year, the National People's Congress (NPC), China's rubber-stamp parliament, put forward plans to introduce a national security and anti-sedition law on the city's behalf, bypassing Hong Kong's legislature via a rarely used constitutional backdoor.

The details of the proposed law go far beyond what was put forward in 2003. As well as criminalizing "treason, secession, sedition (and) subversion" against the central government, it will also enable Chinese national security organs to operate in the city "to fulfill relevant duties to safeguard national security in accordance with the law."

Expected to be passed by the NPC later this month and promulgated in Hong Kong soon after, the law will have drastic effects on whole swaths of Hong Kong society, from the city's garrulous and defiant political sphere to media, education and international business.

[jafo2010]

Hong Kong was sunk the day the Brits pulled out.  The communists would sooner kill every last person there than allow them their autonomy or sense of independence.

[DB]

The citizens of Hong Kong that have the means should get out (should have already gotten out) of Hong Kong. The Chinese hammer is on its downward swing. China has major issues and needs a distraction to direct the focus of its people on other enemies outside their incompetent rulers. Will the Chinese people ever say enough is enough of its rulers?

[skeeter]

The citizens of Hong Kong that have the means should get out (should have already gotten out) of Hong Kong. The Chinese hammer is on its downward swing. China has major issues and needs a distraction to direct the focus of its people on other enemies outside their incompetent rulers. Will the Chinese people ever say enough is enough of its rulers?

Chinese aren't united in this sense. Folks up north could not care less about people in HK. The Chicoms brought in soldiers from different regions to slaughter the students in Beijing, which they happily did.

For the Chicoms to be overthrown would take many individual separatist movements happening across the country concurrently.

[jafo2010]

The Chicoms are not going anywhere.  They are well entrenched.

[Fishrrman]

Hong Kong's fate was sealed the day the Brits signed the agreement to give it up.
Nothing's going to change this...

[mortarman]

ChiComms (an' commies of any stripe or nationality) should never be trusted.

 

[montanajoe]

I've been going through Hong Kong since my senior trip to South East Asia in the late 60's. The last 15 years or so I have been going through once or twice a year. During that time it's been quite apparent that every year it becomes more and more mainland Chinese. I still enjoy my time there but inevitably it will become more like the other Chinese cities with each passing year...

[Free Vulcan]

I'm surprised it took them this long.