HK security law a ‘sword’ over protesters’ heads

The new Hong Kong security law will be a ‘sword’ hanging over the heads of those who endanger national security, Beijing says.

Pro-China supporters pop champagne corks near government headquarters in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Picture: AFP

The new Hong Kong security law will be a “sword” hanging over the heads of those who endanger national security, with Beijing and city authorities working together to enforce it, China has declared.

President Xi Jinping on Tuesday signed the law into effect after all 163 members of China’s top lawmaking body voted to adopt it, and include it in Hong Kong’s constitution.

Critics and Western governments fear the law will stifle freedoms in the semi-autonomous city. But Beijing and Hong Kong’s government have insisted the law will only target a minority of people and will restore business confidence after a year of pro-democracy protests.

“For the small minority who endanger national security, this law will be a sword hanging over their heads,” said China’s main body for Hong Kong affairs.

The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office added that “for the vast majority of Hong Kong residents and foreigners in Hong Kong, this law is a guardian spirit that protects their freedoms”.

But it warned that “no one should underestimate the central government’s determination to maintain Hong Kong’s national security” or “underestimate the ability of the central and special agencies to enforce laws strictly”.

The US, Britain, the EU and the UN rights watchdog have all voiced fears the law could be used to stifle criticism of Beijing.

The law bypassed Hong Kong’s fractious legislature and the wording was kept secret from the city’s 7.5 million inhabitants. The opacity continued even after the law was passed, with ­silence from Beijing. Instead, the news filtered out via pro-Beijing politicians and local media outlets in Hong Kong.

At her weekly press conference on Tuesday morning, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam — a pro-Beijing appointee — declined to comment on whether the law had been passed or what it contained.

“That Hong Kong ­people will only come to know what’s really in this new law after the fact is more than preposterous,” opposition politician Claudia Mo said.

As news emerged that the law had been signed, democracy campaigner Joshua Wong tweeted: “It marks the end of Hong Kong that the world knew before. With sweeping powers and ill-defined law, the city will turn into a ­#secretpolicestate.”

Hong Kong was guaranteed certain freedoms — as well as ­judicial and legislative autonomy — for 50 years in a deal known as “One Country, Two Systems”.

The formula formed the bedrock of the city’s transformation into a world-class business hub, bolstered by a reliable judiciary and political freedoms unseen on the mainland.

Critics have long accused Beijing of chipping away at that status, but they describe the security law as the most brazen move yet. A summary of the law published by the official state agency Xinhua this month said China’s security agencies would be able to set up shop publicly in the city for the first time. Beijing has also said it will have jurisdiction over some cases, toppling the legal firewall that has ­existed between Hong Kong and the mainland’s party-controlled courts since the 1997 handover from Britain.

On the mainland, national ­security laws are routinely used to jail critics, especially for the vague offence of “subversion”.

Taiwan, which said it was willing to help Hong Kongers relocate to the island, was one of the first governments to react. “The government condemns this move that seriously affects freedom, human rights and stable development in Hong Kong society,” the cabinet said in a statement.

In a largely symbolic move, the US ended sensitive ­defence exports to Hong Kong over the law.

Britain had said it was willing to provide a “pathway to citizenship” for millions of Hong Kongers if the security law went ahead.

AFP