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Hong Kong protests - USA v China standoff

Britain will not 'look away' from Hong Kong responsibilities, says Raab

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain will not look away from its responsibilities to Hong Kong, foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Sunday, repeating London’s offer of extended visa rights in response to China’s push to impose a new law in the former British colony.

“If China follows through with this national security legislation ... we will give those people who hold BNO passports (British National Overseas’ passports) the right to come to the UK,” Raab told the BBC, adding that only “a fraction of them would actually come”.

“We are not going to turn a blind eye, we are not going to look away from our responsibilities to the people of Hong Kong.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...responsibilities-says-raab-idUSKBN2370AC?il=0
 
Tiananmen: Police ban Hong Kong vigil for victims of 1989 crackdown

Hong Kong police have banned a vigil marking the Tiananmen Square crackdown for the first time in 30 years.

Authorities said the decision was due to health concerns over coronavirus.

However, there are fears this may end the commemorations, as China seeks to impose a new law making undermining its authority a crime in the territory.

Currently, Hong Kong and Macau are the only places in Chinese territory where people can commemorate the deadly 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.

In mainland China, the authorities have banned even oblique references the events of June 4, which came after weeks of mass demonstrations that were tolerated by the government.

Whether the commemoration will be allowed to go ahead in Hong Kong next year - when the new law targeting what Beijing considers to be terrorism and subversion in the territory will most likely be in force - is unclear.

The proposed law has come under widespread international criticism, with seven former UK foreign secretaries urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to form a global alliance to coordinate the response to what they called "flagrant breach" of Sino-British agreements.

Hong Kong was handed back to China from British control in 1997 under the "one country, two systems" model.

Lee Cheuk Yan, the chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, said the "unreasonable" ban on this year's vigil means the end to Hong Kong's "one country, two systems".

The vigil in Hong Kong is a large event - last year, organisers said 180,000 people came together in the city's Victoria Park. Police put the number of attendees at under 40,000.

The alliance said people could come to the Victoria Park in a group of eight people - allowed under coronavirus regulations - and hold candles while observing social distancing.

Lee also urged the people to commemorate the crackdown in different parts of the city, and the alliance will also organise an online event around the globe.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-52877411
 
HK leader accuses US of 'double standards'

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has accused the US of "double standards" in its response to protests, using the protests across the US this week as an example.

"They value very much their own national security but are biased in viewing ours," she said, speaking ahead of a weekly meeting, according to site SCMP.

"There are riots in the US and we see how local governments reacted. And then in Hong Kong, when we had similar riots, we saw what position they adopted".

Her comments come in defence of Beijing's move to pass a national security law in Hong Kong which would make it a crime to undermine Beijing's authority in the territory.

Hong Kong had for months last year been rocked by pro-democracy protests - these were recently restarted after months of silence due to the coronavirus outbreak.
 
Hopefully the U.S will allow all rioters in Hong Kong to move to the U.S...they can help out with the riots that are happening in the U.S at the moment.

Karma sucks sometimes, doesnt it.
 
UK warns China: do not destroy the jewel of Hong Kong

LONDON (Reuters) - The United Kingdom warned Beijing on Tuesday to step back from the brink over an “authoritarian” national security law in Hong Kong that it said risked destroying one of the jewels of Asia’s economy while ruining the reputation of China.

China’s parliament last week approved a decision to create laws for Hong Kong to curb sedition, secession, terrorism and foreign interference. Mainland security and intelligence agents may be stationed in the city for the first time.

“There is time for China to reconsider, there is a moment for China to step back from the brink and respect Hong Kong’s autonomy and respect China’s own international obligations,” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told parliament.

“The sad reality is that if China continues down this track, it will be strangling what has long been the jewel in the economic crown,” Raab said, when asked about the future of the Hong Kong dollar peg.

Hong Kong fell to sixth place from third in the latest ranking of global financial centres, according to the Z/Yen global financial centres index, behind New York, London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Singapore. It was Asia’s top hub in 2019.

Raab said the security law was in breach of the “one country, two systems” principle enshrined in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, and also conflicted with Article 23 of China’s own basic law.

Raab, though, cautioned that he did not expect China to change course. “We think that it is unlikely that will happen,” he said.

If it goes ahead, Raab said the United Kingdom will form an alliance of countries to resist China, whose $14 trillion economy dwarfs every Western economy apart from the United States which has a $21.4 trillion economy.

Raab said the United Kingdom could not coerce China but would seek to persuade it to change course.

If China does not change course, British National Overseas passport-holders in Hong Kong will be offered a path to British citizenship.

Asked if London would go further, Raab said that the offer was already generous: around 300,000 holders of BNO passports and another 3 million were eligible.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-destroy-the-jewel-of-hong-kong-idUSKBN2391EL
 
Hong Kong democracy group files complaint to U.N. over alleged abuse

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Hong Kong pro-democracy group said on Tuesday it had filed a complaint with the United Nations over what it described as abuse of anti-government protesters held in custody in the Chinese-ruled city.

The prominent democracy group Demosisto cited three protesters as saying they had been physically and verbally abused by Correctional Services Department (CSD) guards while in detention, including being beaten and slapped in places without CCTV surveillance cameras.

CSD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The city government has not commented on the accusations. Hong Kong police have in the past denied using excessive force during protests, saying they have acted with restraint in the face of violent unrest.

Joshua Wong, secretary-general of Demosisto, said the inmates’ treatment fell under the definition of “torture” as laid out in the U.N. Convention Against Torture, and the complaint had been sent to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The three protesters, whose names were given only as Tom, Ivan, and Jackson, were all held in Pik Uk Correctional Institution, a centre in the district of Sai Kung that is used for inmates aged 21 or under, Wong’s group said.

They were detained as the novel coronavirus closed courts and they waited for Hong Kong’s judicial system to determine their fate over charges related to anti-government protests.

Nearly 9,000 people have been arrested and 1,671 people charged since anti-government protests escalated in June last year, according to police.

According to Demosisto and city legislator Shiu Ka-chun, at least 34 male protesters have been remanded in custody in Pik Uk since June 2019. Of those, 14 are still in detention.

The CSD said it does not have data on the number of people in detention related to the protests.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...laint-to-u-n-over-alleged-abuse-idUSKBN23918B
 
UK to change immigration rules if China imposes security law on Hong Kong, Johnson says

The United Kingdom is prepared to change its immigration rules if China imposes a national security law on Hong Kong, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday in an op-ed for the South China Morning Post.

“Since the handover in 1997, the key has been the precious concept of ‘one country, two systems’, enshrined in Hong Kong’s Basic Law and underpinned by the Joint Declaration signed by Britain and China”, Johnson wrote,

The British prime minister added that China’s decision to impose a national security law on Hong Kong will “curtail its freedoms and dramatically erode its autonomy”.

He described China’s step as being in conflict with the obligations under the Joint Declaration.

“If China imposes its national security law, the British government will change our immigration rules,” Johnson said.

Under the change, holders of British National Overseas passports from Hong Kong would be allowed to enter the UK for a renewable period of 12 months and given further immigration rights, he added, “including the right to work, which could place them on a route to citizenship”.

About 350,000 of the territory’s people currently hold such passports and another 2.5 million would be eligible to apply for them, Johnson said.

China’s parliament last week approved a decision to create laws for Hong Kong to curb sedition, secession, terrorism and foreign interference. Mainland security and intelligence agents may be stationed in the city for the first time.

On Tuesday, Britain warned Beijing to step back from the brink over the national security law in Hong Kong, saying it risked destroying one of the jewels of Asia’s economy while ruining the reputation of China.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered his administration to begin the process of eliminating special U.S. treatment for Hong Kong to punish China.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-h...-on-hong-kong-johnson-says-idUKKBN23931E?il=0
 
Britain will change its immigration rules and offer millions of people in Hong Kong "a route to citizenship" if China imposes new security laws, Boris Johnson has said.

Writing in the Times, Mr Johnson said the UK would "have no choice" but to uphold its ties with the territory.

China is facing mounting criticism over its planned law.

Many people in Hong Kong fear it could end their unique freedoms, which the rest of China does not have.

China's new law: Why is Hong Kong worried?
The UK is already in talks with allies including the US and Australia about what to do if China imposes the new law - which would make it a crime to undermine Beijing's authority - and people start fleeing Hong Kong.

In the Times on Wednesday, the prime minister confirmed that if China passes the law, people in Hong Kong who hold British National (Overseas) passports will be allowed to come to the UK for 12 months without a visa. Currently they are allowed to come for six months.

Around 350,000 people in Hong Kong currently already have a BNO passport, but 2.6 million others are also eligible.

Passport-holders would also be given further immigration rights, including the right to work.

This "could place them on a route to citizenship," Mr Johnson said.

The prime minister added that the immigration changes "would amount to one of the biggest changes in our visa system in British history".

"If it proves necessary, the British government will take this step and take it willingly.

"Many people in Hong Kong fear their way of life, which China pledged to uphold, is under threat.

"If China proceeds to justify their fears, then Britain could not in good conscience shrug our shoulders and walk away; instead we will honour our obligations and provide an alternative."

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption
Mr Johnson said China's national security law would "dramatically erode" Hong Kong's autonomy
Hong Kong is a former British colony. It was handed back to China from British control in 1997.

As part of an agreement signed at the time, it enjoys some freedoms not seen in mainland China - and these are set out in a mini-constitution called the Basic Law.

BNO passports were granted to all Hong Kong citizens born before the Chinese handover in 1997 and while they allow the holder some protection from the UK foreign service they do not currently give the right to live or work in Britain.

There has been widespread international criticism of China's proposed law and the UK government's announcement marks a step up in Britain's opposition to it.

On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK was in talks with countries in the Five Eyes alliance about how to handle a potential "exodus" of people from the area.

He urged China to reconsider its plans which, he said, would threaten Hong Kong's autonomy and prosperity.

Senior MPs from Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have urged the United Nations to appoint a special envoy to Hong Kong to monitor how the new law affects human rights.

Earlier this week, seven former UK foreign secretaries urged Mr Johnson to form a global alliance to co-ordinate a response.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52900700
 
China warns Britain interfering in Hong Kong will 'backfire'

China warned Britain on Wednesday that interfering in Hong Kong will backfire, after the former colonial power vowed to give sanctuary to locals who may flee the city if a controversial security law is passed.

The United States and Britain have enraged Beijing with their criticism of planned national security legislation that critics fear would destroy the semi-autonomous city's limited freedoms.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has further angered Beijing by suggesting that it had time to “reconsider” the plan, which could soon be enacted after the proposal was endorsed by China's rubber-stamp parliament last week.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, meanwhile, said London would not “walk away” from Hong Kongers worried by Beijing's control over the international business hub.

Johnson wrote in a column for The Times newspaper and the South China Morning Post that he would offer millions of Hong Kongers visas and a possible route to UK citizenship if China persists with its national security law.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Beijing had lodged “serious representations” with London over Raab's remarks, which “grossly interfered” in Hong Kong's affairs.

“We advise the UK to step back from the brink, abandon their Cold War mentality and colonial mindset, and recognise and respect the fact that Hong Kong has returned” to China, Zhao said at a regular briefing.

Zhao said London must “immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong's affairs and China's internal affairs, or this will definitely backfire".

Hong Kong has been rocked by months of huge and often violent pro-democracy protests over the past year.

In response Beijing has announced plans to introduce a sweeping national security law covering secession, subversion of state power, terrorism and foreign interference.

China says the law — which will bypass Hong Kong's legislature — is needed to tackle “terrorism” and “separatism” in a restless city it now regards as a direct national security threat.

But opponents, including many Western nations, fear it will bring mainland style political oppression to a business hub that was supposedly guaranteed freedoms and autonomy for 50 years after its 1997 handover to China from Britain.

In parliament on Tuesday, Raab said he had reached out to Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada about contingency plans if the law creates a deluge of Hong Kongers looking to leave.

“I raised it on the Five Eyes call yesterday — the possibility of burden sharing if we see a mass exodus from Hong Kong,” Raab told lawmakers, referencing the intelligence sharing alliance between the five powers.

'Path to citizenship'
In his column, Johnson wrote that if China proceeds to justify the “fears” of Hong Kongers, “then Britain could not in good conscience shrug our shoulders and walk away; instead we will honour our obligations and provide an alternative".

About 350,000 people in Hong Kong currently hold British National (Overseas) passports, which allow visa-free access to Britain for up to six months.

Another 2.5 million people would be eligible to apply for one.

Johnson said Britain could allow BN(O) holders to come for a renewable period of 12 months “and be given further immigration rights, including the right to work, which could place them on a route to citizenship”.

Britain says it views the proposed law as a breach of the 1984 agreement with Beijing ahead of the handover guaranteeing Hong Kong's freedoms and a level of autonomy — a deal that formed the bedrock of its rise as a world class finance centre.

“Britain does not seek to prevent China's rise,” Johnson wrote. “It is precisely because we welcome China as a leading member of the world community that we expect it to abide by international agreements.”

But Zhao said the Sino-British agreement “does not contain a single word or clause that gives the UK any responsibility for Hong Kong after its handover”.

His comments came as political tensions are rising in Hong Kong once more.

On Wednesday, lawmakers in the city's pro-Beijing weighted legislature restarted debate on a law that would criminalise insults to China's national anthem.

The bill is likely to be passed on Thursday — a day when Hong Kongers will also mark the anniversary of Beijing's 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, despite city authorities banning the traditional annual vigil because of the coronavirus.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1561054/china-warns-britain-interfering-in-hong-kong-will-backfire
 
UK must have 'clear-eyed' relations with China

The Telegraph's Steve Swinford asks about the UK's relationship with China in light of its much-criticised handling of the virus and tensions over Hong Kong.

He specifically wants to know whether the PM plans to eventually exclude Chinese firm Huawei from involvement in the UK's 5G network.

The PM says there is a risk that a proposed new national security law will erode civic and political freedoms in the ex-British colony and the UK is going to "hold out the hand of friendship and loyalty" to British National Overseas Passport holders who want to come to the UK.

He insists that he is a Sinophile and that he believes that China is an incredible country and civilisation and condemns xenophobic attacks on Chinese people living in the UK.

The UK needs to have a good, friendly and clear-eyed relationship with China going forward while protecting its national security interests, particularly in relation to its 5G infrastructure, the PM says.
 
MenInG said:
UK must have 'clear-eyed' relations with China

The Telegraph's Steve Swinford asks about the UK's relationship with China in light of its much-criticised handling of the virus and tensions over Hong Kong.

He specifically wants to know whether the PM plans to eventually exclude Chinese firm Huawei from involvement in the UK's 5G network.

The PM says there is a risk that a proposed new national security law will erode civic and political freedoms in the ex-British colony and the UK is going to "hold out the hand of friendship and loyalty" to British National Overseas Passport holders who want to come to the UK.

He insists that he is a Sinophile and that he believes that China is an incredible country and civilisation and condemns xenophobic attacks on Chinese people living in the UK.

The UK needs to have a good, friendly and clear-eyed relationship with China going forward while protecting its national security interests, particularly in relation to its 5G infrastructure, the PM says.
Click to expand...

Conservatives are confused coz even before China's new law Boris was scrambling.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/may/22/boris-johnson-forced-to-reduce-huaweis-role-in-uks-5g-networks

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8375129/Boris-Johnson-changes-mind-Huawei-deal-wants-way-agreement.html
 
Hong Kong's legislature on Thursday began voting on a controversial bill criminalising 'disrespect' of China's national anthem, amid concern over the mainland's increasing influence on the semi-autonomous territory and a ban for the first time in three decades on its annual memorial for the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

The bill means anyone found guilty of disrespecting the anthem risks a hefty fine and as many as three years in jail.

The assembly was sitting as it emerged some 3,000 riot police - 2,000 of them on Hong Kong Island where government offices are located - would be deployed after the annual Tiananmen Square massacre was banned because of coronavirus concerns. Two water cannon were also stationed near the government complex and the Chinese liaison office, according to local media.

Vigil organisers have urged people to light candles in groups of no more than eight people to remain within the coronavirus rules on gatherings.

The bill was passed amid heightened tensions in Hong Kong after almost a year of sometimes violent pro-democracy protests and as China moved last month to impose new national security legislation on the territory, which is supposed to be guaranteed freedoms unknown on the mainland until at least 2047.

The candlelight vigil has traditionally drawn tens of thousands of people to the city's Victoria Park.

"The Hong Kong vigil has been a beacon of light for those of us struggling in darkness to keep the history and memory (of Tiananmen) alive," Rowena He, an associate professor in history at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and author of 'Tiananmen Exiles: Voices of the Struggle for Democracy in China' told Al Jazeera. "It shows the world and the regime that there's something that cannot be crushed with tanks and guns and jail, and that's the human spirit."

Calls online have urged people to light candles in specific places throughout the evening and then "where you are" at 8:00pm local time (12:00 GMT), followed by a minute of silence. Some have said they will go to Victoria Parks in smaller groups.

"Police will observe and enforce the law as the situation requires," the South China Morning Post quoted an unnamed high-ranking officer as saying.

Some people gathered to light candles on Wednesday night, while others held aloft neon lights depicting the date of the crackdown in roman numerals.

Speaking up

Police have said a mass gathering on June 4 would pose a threat to public health at a time when the city has reported its first locally-transmitted coronavirus cases in weeks. Hong Kong has banned gatherings of more than eight people, a public health measure authorities insist has no political motivation.

Malissa Chan, a 26-year-old who works in the property sector, told Reuters she would go to the park anyway.

"When authorities want to suppress us, there are more reasons to speak up," she said.

Social distancing measures allow for religious gatherings under certain conditions, so some people plan to commemorate the Tiananmen crackdown in churches and temples. Other residents are also expected to lay flowers along a waterfront promenade, while some artists plan to stage short street theatre plays.

China has never provided a full accounting of the 1989 violence, but rights groups and witnesses say thousands of people died when the military cleared the square of pro-democracy protesters who had been camped out there for weeks.

The death toll given by officials days after the crackdown was about 300, most of them soldiers, with only 23 students confirmed killed.

The event has been all but erased from history in mainland China, with Hong Kong's vigil the most significant commemoration of the massacre anywhere in the world.

The ban means it is the first time since 1990 that it has not taken place.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...nmen-candles-flowers-ban-200604004732008.html
 
Hong Kong: Thousands defy ban to attend Tiananmen vigil

Thousands of demonstrators in Hong Kong have defied a ban to stage a mass vigil in memory of the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown in Beijing.

Officers erected barricades around the city's Victoria Park, but some pro-democracy protesters knocked them down and held candlelit gatherings.

Police banned the vigil this year, citing coronavirus measures.

Earlier, lawmakers approved a controversial bill making it a crime to insult China's national anthem.

Ahead of the vote, two legislators were taken away by security guards after throwing a foul-smelling liquid on to the chamber floor.

They said they were protesting against China's growing control over Hong Kong, and also marking the Tiananmen Square anniversary.

The latest events come as the Chinese government is drawing up a new security law for Hong Kong, a move that threatens to raise tensions even further.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-52920083
 
Police fire pepper spray during Hong Kong Tiananmen memorials

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Police fired pepper spray at Hong Kong protesters on Thursday who were defying a ban to stage candlelit rallies in memory of China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy crackdown while accusing Beijing of stifling their freedoms too.

The scuffles broke out in the working-class Mong Kok district when demonstrators tried to set up roadblocks with metal barriers and officers used spray to disperse them, according to Reuters witnesses.

It was the first time there had been unrest during the annual Tiananmen vigil in Hong Kong, which police had banned this year citing the coronavirus crisis.

Several thousand people joined the main rally in Victoria Park, chanting slogans such as “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time” and “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong.”

“We are just remembering those who died on June 4, the students who were killed. What have we done wrong? For 30 years we have come here peacefully and reasonably, once it’s over it’s ‘sayonara’ (goodbye),” said Kitty, a 70-year-old housewife.

The anniversary has struck an especially sensitive nerve in the former British-ruled city this year after China’s move last month to impose national security legislation and the passage of a bill outlawing disrespect of China’s national anthem.

It also comes as Chinese media and some Beijing officials voice support for protests in the United States against police brutality. The crackdown is not officially commemorated in mainland China, where the topic is taboo.

In Beijing, security around Tiananmen Square, a popular tourist attraction in the heart of the city, appeared to be tightened, with more police visible than on ordinary days.

In Hong Kong, which just reported its first locally transmitted coronavirus cases in weeks, police had said a mass gathering would undermine public health.

But many took to the streets to light candles and stand for a minute’s silence. Seven Catholic churches opened their doors for memorials.

“We are afraid this will be the last time we can have a ceremony but Hong Kongers will always remember what happened on June 4,” said Brenda Hui, 24, in the working class district of Mong Kok, where she and a friend stood with a white battery-illuminated umbrella that read “Never Forget June 4.”

The European Union and United States both expressed solidarity with the Hong Kong demonstrators’ desire to mark the Tiananmen anniversary.

Democratically-ruled and Beijing-claimed Taiwan, where more than 300 people gathered in Liberty Square, asked China to apologise, which the mainland called “nonsense.”

“In China, every year has only 364 days; one day is forgotten,” Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen wrote on her Facebook page. “I hope that in every corner of the earth there won’t be any days that are disappeared again. And I wish Hong Kong well.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...g-hong-kong-tiananmen-memorials-idUSKBN23A3GU
 
North Korea expresses support for China's measures in Hong Kong

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea’s foreign minister met with the Chinese ambassador to express support for China’s measures in Hong Kong, North Korea’s KCNA state news agency said on Friday.

Foreign minister Ri Son Gwon said that the issue of Hong Kong was an internal affair for China and that foreign interference in it violated the sovereignty of China and international law.

“He stressed that the DPRK will as always positively support the stand of the Chinese party and government,” KCNA cited Ri as saying.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is North Korea’s official name.

Chinese Ambassador Li Jinjun expressed gratitude for North Korea’s support, it said.

North Korea’s comments come after Beijing imposed a new national security law on Hong Kong that Western countries say could restrict freedoms in the former British colony.

North Korea said on Thursday the United States was in no position to criticise China over Hong Kong or human rights when Washington threatens to “unleash dogs” to suppress anti-racism protests, a reference to a tweet by president Donald Trump.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...or-chinas-measures-in-hong-kong-idUSKBN23C19X
 
France tells China it still backs 'one country, two systems' for Hong Kong

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron has told Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping he is following events in Hong Kong closely and continues to back the “one country, two systems” principle for Beijing’s rule over the city, an Elysee official said.

“The President said he was monitoring the (Hong Kong) situation closely and reiterated France’s support for the principle of ‘one country, two systems’,” the official told Reuters on Saturday.

China has approved security legislation for Hong Kong that democracy activists, diplomats and some in business fear will jeopardise its semi-autonomous status and its role as a global financial hub.

The legislation has reignited tensions between Washington and Beijing, and led the European Union to express “grave concern” last week.

Hong Kong was discussed during an hour and a half phone call on Friday between Macron and Xi, the official said.

The Elysee had reported the call in a statement late on Friday without mentioning Hong Kong.

The statement also referred to cooperation in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, saying Macron stressed the essential role of the World Health Organization, blamed by Washington for mishandling the crisis.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...untry-two-systems-for-hong-kong-idUSKBN23D0EE
 
Japan declines to join U.S., others in condemning China for Hong Kong law: Kyodo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has decided not join the United States, Britain and others in issuing a statement scolding China for imposing a new security law, Kyodo news agency reported on Sunday, citing officials from countries involved.

The United Kingdom, the U.S., Australia and Canada condemned China on May 28 for imposing a law that they said would threaten freedom and breach a 1984 Sino-British agreement on the autonomy of the former colony.

There was no immediate response to Reuters e-mail inquiries to Japan’s foreign ministry and the U.S. embassy in Tokyo. China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tokyo separately issued a statement May 28, the day China’s parliament approved the national security legislation, saying the nation was “seriously concerned” about the move, which observers fear could endanger Hong Kong’s special autonomy and freedoms.

Tokyo is in complicated position amid tension between China and the U.S. over the Hong Kong issue as Japan plans Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit, which was planned for early April but has been postponed because both have agreed to priorities to contain the virus outbreak.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...g-china-for-hong-kong-law-kyodo-idUSKBN23E0DE
 
Chinese official suggests Hong Kong should behave to keep high autonomy beyond 2047

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Chinese official suggested on Monday that the degree of autonomy that Hong Kong would have when the post-colonial agreement on its status runs out in 2047 could depend on how the protest-hit city behaves until then.

Pro-democracy demonstrators have taken to the streets again in Hong Kong in recent weeks after a lull during the coronavirus epidemic, angered by Beijing’s plans to impose new security laws. Last year saw the biggest unrest in the semi-autonomous city since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

A “One Country, Two Systems” agreement gave it rights and freedoms unavailable in mainland China for at least for 50 years. But many in Hong Kong and abroad see those freedoms, and its status as an international trade and finance center, at risk from Beijing.

In rare comments on Hong Kong’s long-term future, Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of China’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, indicated that how Hong Kong’s people behaved now in regard to the political situation would affect its post-2047 status.

“I have noticed quite a lot of people in Hong Kong are looking ahead to ‘One Country, Two System’s’ fate after 2047,” Zhang said, speaking via a videolink to an online seminar about the city’s mini-constitution.

“What kind of record will Hong Kong show to the people of the whole country, represented by the then National People’s Congress, for a new mandate?” he said.

Zhang said the stronger the commitment to national security, the more room there would be for the “One Country, Two Systems” arrangement.

The Hong Kong protesters are angry with what they perceive as Beijing’s eroding of the city’s high degree of autonomy.

Beijing sees the demonstrations as a threat to its sovereignty and national security.

Zhang said the new security laws, which aim to tackle secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference, would only target a small group of people and would not affect Hong Kong’s freedoms or its status as a global financial hub.

The city’s main challenge was political, not economic, he said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-keep-high-autonomy-beyond-2047-idUSKBN23F1ER
 
Mike Pompeo criticises HSBC for backing Hong Kong security law

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has criticised banking giant HSBC for supporting China's move to impose new security legislation in Hong Kong.

Mr Pompeo also said the US stood with its allies against China's "coercive bully tactics".

The Trump administration has repeatedly attacked Beijing for what it says is an attempt to end Hong Kong's autonomy.

HSBC, which is UK-based but was formed in Hong Kong in 1865, declined to comment on Mr Pompeo's remarks.

US-China ties have deteriorated rapidly since the start of the year over Hong Kong and the coronavirus pandemic.

The statement on Tuesday by America's top diplomat came after both HSBC and Standard Chartered expressed support for China's national security legislation in Hong Kong.

Mr Pompeo said the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) "browbeating" of HSBC "should serve as a cautionary tale".

He said that last week's signing of a petition supporting the new legislation by HSBC's Asia-Pacific CEO, Peter Wong, was a "show of fealty seems to have earned HSBC little respect in Beijing, which continues to use the bank's business in China as political leverage against London".

Mr Pompeo said that the US was prepared to help the UK after Beijing reportedly threatened to punish HSBC and drop commitments to build nuclear power plants in the UK unless it allowed China's Huawei to build its 5G phone network.

He also repeated that Washington sees Huawei as "an extension of the Chinese Communist Party's surveillance state".

Last month, China's parliament approved a resolution that would impose legislation on Hong Kong that criminalises criticism of the city's government.

Senior UK and US politicians last week also criticised HSBC and Standard Chartered after they both backed the national security law for Hong Kong.

Both HSBC and Standard Chartered have their headquarters in London, but make most of their profits in Asia, with Hong Kong serving as a major base for their operations.

On Saturday, the Daily Telegraph reported that HSBC's chairman, Mark Tucker, had warned Britain against a ban on networking equipment made by Huawei, claiming the bank could face reprisals in China.

A spokeswoman for Standard Chartered said the bank had no comment to make on Mr Pompeo's statement.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-52989121
 
Hong Kong police arrest 53 pro-democracy activists, more rallies planned

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police arrested 53 people during protests on Tuesday evening that saw hundreds of activists take to the streets, at times blocking roads in the heart of the global financial hub, before police fired pepper spray to disperse crowds.

The protests, called to mark a year of sometimes violent pro-democracy rallies in the former British colony, also came amid heightened tensions due to a proposed national security bill backed by the central government in Beijing.

Police said on Wednesday that 36 males and 17 females were arrested for offences including unlawful assembly and participating in unauthorised assembly. Protesters had defied a ban on gatherings of more than eight people introduced by the Hong Kong government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

More protests are planned in coming days, with pro-democracy supporters fearing the proposed national security legislation will dramatically stifle freedoms in the city.

While details of the security law or how it will operate have yet to be revealed, authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have said there is no cause for concern and the legislation will target a minority of “troublemakers.”

The standing committee of the National People’s Congress, the top decision making body of the Chinese parliament, will meet in Beijing later this month to deliberate on various draft legislation, official Chinese media reported on Wednesday. The reports did not specify whether any laws regarding Hong Kong were on the agenda for the June 18-20 meeting.

Hong Kong Security Secretary John Lee told the South China Morning Post in an interview published on Wednesday that local police were setting up a dedicated unit to enforce the law and it would have intelligence gathering, investigation and training capabilities.

Companies including HSBC (HSBA.L) and Standard Chartered (STAN.L) have backed the security law without knowing the details of it, drawing criticism from some investors and U.S. and British officials.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo singled out HSBC on Tuesday, saying such “corporate kowtows” got little in return from Beijing and criticising the Chinese Communist Party’s “coercive bullying tactics.”

Hong Kong’s year of pro-democracy protests was sparked by a government bill that would have allowed people to be extradited to mainland China, where courts are controlled by the Communist Party, for trial.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam withdrew that bill as the protests gathered pace but activists remained concerned that China is reneging on an agreement signed with Britain ahead of the 1997 handover to allow Hong Kong to retain a high level of autonomy for 50 years from that date.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-activists-more-rallies-planned-idUSKBN23H05Z
 
Japan wants to take lead for G7 statement on Hong Kong: Abe

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan wants to take the lead among Group of Seven nations on issuing a statement about the situation in Hong Kong, where China is imposing a new security law, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday.

“Obviously, we acknowledge the G7 has a mission to lead the global public opinion and Japan wants to take a lead in issuing a statement based on ‘one nation, two systems’ in Hong Kong,” Abe told parliament.

Japan had already issued an statement independently expressing serious concern about Beijing’s move on May 28, the day China passed the law, and called in the Chinese ambassador to convey its view.

Tokyo is in a sensitive situation regarding U.S.-China tensions over Hong Kong, as it plans for a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, originally set for April but postponed due to the coronavirus crisis.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters during a daily briefing that Beijing expressed “grave concerns” to Japan about Abe’s remarks and said Hong Kong is “entirely China’s internal affair.”

“The relevant country should abide by international laws and basic principles of international relations,” she said.

The United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada have criticised China for moving to impose the security law on Hong Kong, which they said would breach the 1984 Sino-British agreement on the former colony and threaten its freedoms.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...r-g7-statement-on-hong-kong-abe-idUSKBN23H048
 
Taiwan scrambles to ready for influx from Hong Kong protests

TAIPEI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Taiwan is gearing up to welcome Hong Kong people fleeing their city as China tightens its grip, but the island has little experience of handling refugees and is scrambling to prepare and to keep out any Chinese spies who might try to join the influx.

Year-long anti-government protests in Hong Kong have won widespread sympathy in democratic and Chinese-claimed Taiwan, which has welcomed those who have already come and expects more.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen last month became the first government leader anywhere to pledge measures to help Hong Kong people who leave due to what they see as tightening Chinese controls, including newly introduced national security legislation, smothering their democratic aspirations.

China denies stifling Hong Kong’s freedoms and has condemned Tsai’s offer.

Taiwan, for decades just as wary of the mainland as many in the former British colony of Hong Kong are, is working on a humanitarian relief plan for the expected arrivals, officials say.

“Hong Kong no doubt is a priority for Tsai,” a senior government official familiar with the president’s thinking told Reuters, adding that the administration was setting aside resources to handle Hong Kong people.

The plan would include a monthly allowance for living and rent and shelter for those unable to find accommodation, said a second person with direct knowledge of the preparations.

It is too early to gauge how many might come but Taiwan does not expect the number to be more than the thousands of people who came from Vietnam from the mid-1970s, most fleeing the communist takeover of what had been U.S.-backed South Vietnam.

Nearly 200 Hong Kong people have fled to Taiwan since protests flared last year and about 10% have been granted visas under a law that protects Hong Kong people who are at risk for political reasons, said Shih Yi-hsiang of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights.

For now, anyone thinking of making the move has to wait as Taiwan has barred Hong Kong people as part of its effort to block the novel coronarvirus but Shih expects the number to jump once the ban is lifted.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-influx-from-hong-kong-protests-idUSKBN23I0R1
 
Britain warns at UN rights forum against security law for Hong Kong

GENEVA (Reuters) - Britain said on Tuesday that China’s plan to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong would undermine the autonomy and freedoms of the former British colony.

Britain returned the Asian financial hub to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of freedoms, such as an independent judiciary and right to protest, for 50 years.

“The imposition of the proposed law lies in direct conflict with China’s international obligations under the Joint Declaration, a treaty agreed by the UK and China and registered with the United Nations,” Julian Braithwaite, Britain’s ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, told its Human Rights Council.

He urged China to engage with the territory’s people, institutions and judiciary to “ensure it maintains Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms”.

Jiang Duan, human rights minister at China’s Geneva mission, took the floor to say that Braithwaite had “interfered in China’s internal affairs which we firmly reject”.

“China’s enactment of laws in the Hong Kong special adminstrative region to safeguard national security is aimed at plugging loopholes...and effectively safeguarding national sovereignty and security,” he said. “This is legitimate, legal and imperative.”

Pang Kwang Hyok, deputy ambassador at North Korea’s mission, voiced concern at “certain countries’ attempt to use Hong Kong-related issues to interfere in China’s domestic affairs”. Hong Kong is “an inseparable part” of where China’s sovereignty is exercised and its constitution is applied, he said.

Hong Kong’s national security legislation would not punish people retroactively, a senior Chinese official said on Monday, touching on a key question raised by local residents, diplomats and foreign investors over the disputed measure.

Beijing last month moved to directly impose the legislation on Hong Kong in a bid to tackle secession, subversion and foreign interference in the financial hub.

Hong Kong was rocked by months of sometimes violent anti-China, pro-democracy unrest last year, with protesters angry at what they see as meddling by Communist Party rulers in Beijing in Hong Kong’s affairs.

China denies interfering and accuses Britain and the United States of fomenting the unrest.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...inst-security-law-for-hong-kong-idUSKBN23N1SN
 
Activist Joshua Wong says he plans to run for Hong Kong legislature

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Prominent Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong said on Friday he planned to run for a seat in the Chinese-ruled city’s legislature, setting up a new battle with authorities after being barred from running in previous polls.

Wong, who was 17 when he became the face of the 2014 student-led Umbrella Movement, has not been a leading figure of the often-violent protests that have shaken the semi-autonomous financial hub for the past 12 months.

However, he has drummed up support for the pro-democracy movement overseas, meeting with politicians from the United States, Europe and elsewhere, drawing the wrath of Beijing, which says he is a “black hand” of foreign forces.

He was disqualified from running for the less important district council elections last year on grounds that advocacy of Hong Kong’s self-determination violates electoral law, which he described at the time as political censorship.

He intends to run in a primary for the pro-democracy camp that will choose candidates for the Legislative Council vote on Sept. 6.

“If more people vote for us ... it could generate more pressure and more hesitation for Beijing,” Wong said, in front of campaign posters with the slogan “Ballot, or bullet.”

Wong has said he supports the idea of a non-binding referendum for people to have a say over Hong Kong’s future but that he is against independence.

Electoral rules after Hong Kong’s 1997 return to China from Britain effectively guarantee that the legislature is stacked in Beijing’s favour, with only half the seats directly elected.

The rest are picked by business and professional groups called “functional constituencies,” which are dominated by pro-establishment figures.

In 2016, the pan-democratic camp won 29 seats, but then lost six when candidates were disqualified after China’s national parliament ruled their oaths of office were invalid.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...o-run-for-hong-kong-legislature-idUSKBN23Q1RK
 
China unveils details of national security law for Hong Kong amid backlash

BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Beijing unveiled details of its new national security law for Hong Kong on Saturday, paving the way for the most profound change to the city’s way of life since it returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

The much-anticipated legislation, which has provoked deep concerns in Washington and Europe, includes a national security office for Hong Kong to collect intelligence and handle crimes against national security, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

It said Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam could also appoint specific judges to hear national security cases, a move likely to unnerve some investors, diplomats and business leaders in the global financial hub.

National security activities would protect human rights and freedom of speech and assembly, it added, without providing details.

China says the draft law is aimed at tackling separatist activity, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, but critics fear it will crush wide-ranging freedoms that are seen as key to Hong Kong’s status as a global financial centre.

The details of the law were unveiled following a three-day meeting of the top decision-making body of China’s parliament.

The exact time frame for enacting the law was unclear, although political analysts expect it will take effect ahead of key Legislative Council elections in Hong Kong on Sept. 6.

China’s move to impose the law directly on Hong Kong, bypassing the city’s legislature, comes after a year of sometimes violent anti-government and anti-Beijing protests that mainland and local authorities blame “foreign forces” for fomenting.

Some political commentators say the law is aimed at sealing Hong Kong’s “second return” to the motherland after Britain’s 1997 handover failed to bring residents of the restive city to heel.

At the time of the handover, China promised to allow Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy for 50 years under what is known as the “one country two systems” formula of governance, although democracy activists say Beijing has increasingly tightened its grip over the city.

Beijing proposed the new legislation last month, drawing a swift rebuke from Britain and the United States.

On Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington would in future treat Hong Kong as a Chinese city, rather than a semi-autonomous one, and the United States was working its way through a decision-making process over who would be held accountable over curbs to Hong Kong’s freedoms.

Underscoring global concerns over the move, the European Parliament on Friday voted in favour of taking China to the International Court of Justice in The Hague if Beijing imposes the security law on Hong Kong.]

China has repeatedly warned foreign governments against interfering in its internal affairs.

Officials in Beijing and Hong Kong have been at pains to reassure investors that the law will not erode the city’s high degree of autonomy, insisting it will only target a minority of “troublemakers” who pose a threat to national security.

Hong Kong has said the law will not erode investor confidence and people who abide by it have no reason to worry.

Despite such assurances, the law has alarmed business groups, diplomats and rights organisations, further strained ties between the United States and China, and prompted the G7 foreign ministers to urge Beijing not to go through with it.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...law-for-hong-kong-amid-backlash-idUSKBN23R0FC
 
Hong Kong unions, students fail to get support for strikes against security law

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Pro-democracy labor unions and a student group in Hong Kong failed to garner enough support to hold strikes against looming national security legislation imposed by Beijing, in a blow for the Chinese-ruled city’s protest movement.

After a year of often-violent unrest, anti-government demonstrations have lost momentum due to higher risk of arrest, with recent rallies failing to receive police approval due to coronavirus restrictions on large crowds.

A strike was intended to open a new arena of resistance, but organizers said only 8,943 union members participated in a city-wide poll, falling short of the 60,000 threshold to go ahead, even as 95% of the votes were in favor.

Separately, the Secondary School Students Action Platform said it would not initiate a class boycott, as they fell short of some of their targets for in-person votes.

Voting took place on Saturday and the results were announced around midnight.

The unions represented almost two dozen industries, including aviation, transport, construction, technology and tourism. Most were formed in the past year as pro-democracy activists have spearheaded the biggest push to unionize the laissez-faire, ultra-capitalist finance hub - where collective bargaining rights are not recognized - since Britain handed the city back to China in 1997.

China on Saturday announced details of the national security legislation, unveiling Beijing will have overarching powers over its enforcement and signaling the deepest change to the city’s way of life since the handover.

The planned law has alarmed foreign governments as well as democracy activists in Hong Kong, who were already concerned that Beijing was tightening its grip over the semi-autonomous city.

Officials in Beijing and Hong Kong have sought to reassure investors that the law will not erode the city’s high degree autonomy, insisting it will target only a minority of “troublemakers” who pose a threat to national security.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...or-strikes-against-security-law-idUSKBN23S011
 
Chinese lawmakers to meet again in June, may pass security law, say reports

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s top legislative body will meet on June 28, about a week after its last gathering, the official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday, a shorter than usual gap following the announcement of details of a draft Hong Kong security law.

The draft law has alarmed foreign governments and Hong Kong democracy activists, who are concerned that Beijing is eroding the high degree of autonomy granted to the territory when it was handed over to China in 1997 from British rule.

The National People’s Congress Standing Committee, which usually meets every two months, is due to meet from June 28 to 30 in Beijing, Xinhua said.

It did not say whether the Hong Kong national security law was on the agenda.

The Global Times, a tabloid published by the People’s Daily, cited “observers” as saying the parliamentary body would likely enact the Hong Kong security law by July 1.

Pro-democracy groups rally in Hong Kong every year on July 1, the anniversary of the city’s handover to the mainland.

Under China’s legislative process, new laws typically require three readings before being passed, but some can pass on the second reading if there is sufficient consensus.

Details of the new law show China will have overarching powers over the enforcement of a new national security law in Hong Kong, in what would be the deepest change to the city’s way of life since it returned to Chinese rule.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...y-pass-security-law-say-reports-idUSKBN23S0JF
 
Hong Kong police refuse permission for march to mark handover

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The Hong Kong police department on Saturday denied permission for an annual march in the former British colony on July 1 to mark the anniversary of the city’s 1997 return to China, the organizer and the police said in separate statements.

In a notice to the organizer, Civil Human Rights Front, the police cited the city’s current rules limiting gatherings to no more than 50 people due to the coronavirus pandemic, saying public assemblies and demonstrations are not exempted.

The notice, posted on the front’s Facebook page, also cited violent incidents that took place after public assemblies and rallies organized by the group over the past 12 months.

“Upon risk assessment, police considered that the public meetings and procession are high-risk activities,” the local police department said in a separate post on the department’s Facebook page.

The move comes ahead of a three-day meeting from Sunday of China’s parliament, which is expected to enact new national security legislation on the eve of the 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule.

China says the national security law, which has alarmed foreign governments and democracy activists, will target only a small group of troublemakers and people who abide by the legislation have no reason to worry.

China took back control of Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, under a “one country, two systems” formula that allows freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, including freedom of protest and a much-cherished independent judiciary.

In recent years, the anniversary of the handover has been marked by deepening despondency about what many residents saw as increasing meddling by the mainland and the erosion of freedoms.

On Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington was imposing visa restrictions on Chinese officials responsible for restricting freedoms in Hong Kong, but he did not name any of those targeted.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...sion-for-march-to-mark-handover-idUSKBN23Y0BT
 
Hong Kong police arrested at least 53 people on Sunday after scuffles erupted during a relatively peaceful protest against planned national security legislation to be implemented by the mainland Chinese government.

The protest came a day after Hong Kong police refused permission for an annual march usually held on July 1 to mark the 1997 handover, citing a ban on large gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Armed riot police were present as a crowd of several hundred moved from Jordan to Mong Kok in the Kowloon district, staging what was intended as a “silent protest” against the planned law.

However, chanting and slogans were shouted towards police and later scuffles broke out in Mong Kok, prompting police to use pepper spray to subdue parts of the crowd.

Hong Kong Police said on Facebook that 53 people had been arrested and charged with unlawful assembly, adding that earlier some protesters tried to blockade roads in the area.
 
Dozens arrested as Hong Kongers protest planned national security laws

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police arrested at least 53 people on Sunday after scuffles erupted during a relatively peaceful protest against planned national security legislation to be implemented by the mainland Chinese government.

Armed riot police were present as a crowd of several hundred moved from Jordan to Mong Kok in the Kowloon district, staging what was intended as a “silent protest” against the planned law.

However, chanting and slogans were shouted towards police and later scuffles broke out in Mong Kok, prompting police to use pepper spray to subdue parts of the crowd.

Hong Kong Police said on Facebook that 53 people had been arrested and charged with unlawful assembly, adding that earlier some protesters tried to blockade roads in the area.

The proposed national security law has raised concerns among Hong Kong democracy activists and some foreign governments that Beijing is further eroding the extensive autonomy promised when Britain handed the territory back to China in 1997.

“The governments wants to shut us up and to kick us out,” one protester, Roy Chan, 44, said. “We must stand up and strike down all those people who deprive Hong Kong people’s freedom.”

Sunday’s event came a day after Hong Kong police refused permission for an annual march usually held on July 1 to mark the 1997 handover, citing a ban on large gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

China has said the new security law will target only a small group of troublemakers as it tackles separatism, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in Hong Kong.

China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee reviewed a draft of the bill on Sunday.

Chinese state media reported that lawmakers overwhelmingly supported the draft. The Chinese government has “unshakable determination to push ahead with enactment of the security bill and safeguard national sovereignty and interest,” state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing a government spokesperson.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-planned-national-security-laws-idUSKBN23Z07K
 
China has passed a controversial security law giving it new powers over Hong Kong, deepening fears for the city's freedoms, the BBC has learned.

Last month China stunned the city when it said it would criminalise any act of secession, subversion, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces.

The move came after angry protests last year - sparked by another law - which became a pro-democracy movement.

Critics say this new law poses an even greater threat to Hong Kong's identity.

They warn it will undermine Hong Kong's judicial independence and destroy the city's unique freedoms, not seen on mainland China.

A draft of the law was not made public before it was pushed through, which means people in the city will not have seen details of the measures they now have to abide by.

Hong Kong was handed back to China from British control in 1997, but under a special agreement that guaranteed certain rights for 50 years.

So the law has drawn harsh international condemnation and also sparked demonstrations in Hong Kong since it was announced by Beijing in May.

China says the law is needed to tackle unrest and instability in the city and rejects criticism as interference in its affairs.

China has not officially confirmed the law has been passed, but the BBC has been told that it went through unanimously in a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in Beijing.

It is expected to be added to Hong Kong statute books later in the day and comes a day before the 23rd anniversary of the handover from Britain to China - a date usually marked by pro-democracy protests.

It would make criminal any act of secession, subversion of the central government, terrorism and collusion with foreign or external forces.

Beijing to set up new security office in Hong Kong

A new office in Hong Kong would deal with national security cases, but would also have other powers such as overseeing education about national security in Hong Kong schools.

In addition, the city will have to establish its own national security commission to enforce the laws, with a Beijing-appointed adviser.

Hong Kong's chief executive will have the power to appoint judges to hear national security cases, a move which has raised fears about judicial independence.

Importantly, Beijing will have power over how the law should be interpreted. If the law conflicts with any Hong Kong law, the Beijing law takes priority.

How will it change Hong Kong?
For many, the very nature of the law undermines the freedoms that set Hong Kong apart from the rest of China - and helped defined the character of the city.

People in Hong Kong prized civil liberties such as free speech, the right to protest and an entirely independent and robust judiciary.

Critics say that in effect this law could silence dissent and will extend the influence of the Chinese Communist Party over various aspects of Hong Kong life.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam has previously dismissed such fears, saying this was a "responsible" move to protect the law-abiding majority.

She has said that Hong Kong's freedoms, vibrancy and core values will be preserved.

'A tool to suppress political agitation'
Analysis by Stephen McDonell, BBC China correspondent

Hong Kong's sweeping new security law is a frighteningly open-ended tool to suppress political agitation.

Like similar laws on the Chinese mainland it appears that it can be manipulated to meet the needs of the Communist Party as required to crush almost any action deemed threatening.

Unlike elsewhere in China, Hong Kong has an independent judiciary. For this reason, the Party's leadership was not going to leave interpretation of this law in the hands of just any old judges.

No. Those who'll be allowed to preside in these matters will be hand-picked by Carrie Lam, the city's leader who was effectively installed by Beijing.

So. prior to the new security bill, which actions by activists - no matter how subversive - could not be dealt with under existing laws? What were "extremists" getting away with to warrant this new legislation?

Bomb making? No. Smashing up buildings? No. Meeting with international NGO's to talk about the city's deteriorating freedoms? Ahhhh. Perhaps. Publicly advocating Hong Kong independence? Almost certainly.

The more that Beijing, under Xi Jinping's leadership, has sought to control Hong Kong, the more it has driven residents into the pro-democracy camp.

But he is playing a long game - and whatever the promises made at the time of the handover, this was not going to continue on his watch. Enter the security law.

What has the reaction been?
One of the city's most prominent activists, Joshua Wong, on Tuesday said he would quit the pro-democracy group Demosisto he spearheaded until now.

Rights group Amnesty International describes the law as "the greatest threat to human rights in the city's recent history".

Taiwan on Tuesday even warned its citizens of risks in visiting Hong Kong.

But there was widespread international criticism even before the law was passed.

Washington has threatened to end Hong Kong's special status trade relationship while the European Parliament voted to take China to the International Court of Justice in The Hague should the law be imposed.

The UK said it would change its immigration rules and offer millions of people in Hong Kong "a route to citizenship" if China went ahead with the legislation.

Why is China imposing the law?
Hong Kong was handed over to China from Britain in 1997 under a "one country, two systems" principle and with a mini-constitution called the Basic Law. It allowed freedom of assembly and speech, an independent judiciary and some democratic rights seen nowhere else in mainland China.

Hong Kong was also expected to enact its own national security law, but its unpopularity meant that had never been done.

In recent years, Hong Kong has repeatedly seen waves of protests against Beijing's influence and demanding more rights.

Then, in 2019, protests over an extradition law turned violent and evolved into a broad anti-China and pro-democracy movement.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53230391
 
Hong Kong is marking 23 years since British rule ended as a new "anti-protest" law, imposed by Beijing, comes into effect.

The national security law targets secession, subversion and terrorism with punishments up to life in prison.

Hong Kong was handed back to China from Britain in 1997, under an agreement supposed to protect certain freedoms for at least 50 years.

But critics say the law is the "end of Hong Kong", and stops those freedoms.

"[China] promised 50 years of freedom to the Hong Kong people, and gave them only 23," US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

China's new law: Why is Hong Kong worried?
The city's leader, however, said the law would "restore stability" after widespread protests in 2019.

"The [new law] is considered the most important development in relations between the central government and Hong Kong since the handover," said Chief Executive Carrie Lam.

At the same time, a Chinese official bristled at foreign critics, asking them: "What's this got to do with you?"

"We Chinese will not be scared by anyone," said Zhang Xiaming of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs office of the State Council. "Gone are the days when we had to take cues from others."

A pro-democracy protest is held each year on the anniversary, typically attended by tens or hundreds of thousands of people.

But for the first time since the handover, authorities banned the march - citing a ban on gatherings of more than 50 people because of coronavirus.

Some activists have pledged to defy the ban and march later in the afternoon.

"We march every year... and we will keep on marching," pro-democracy activist Leung Kwok-hung told Reuters.

Photos on social media - confirmed by police as genuine - showed a flag being used to warn protesters about the new law.

One pro-democracy activist warned there was a "large chance of our being arrested".

"The charges will not be light, please judge for yourself," said Tsang Kin-shing of the League of Social Democrats.

Police officers in the city are on standby, insiders told the South China Morning Post. They said around 4,000 officers were poised to handle any unrest.

What does the new law say?
Under the new law, crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces are punishable by a minimum sentence of three years, with the maximum being life.

Protesters often targeted city infrastructure during the 2019 protests, and under the new law, damaging public transport facilities can be considered terrorism.

Beijing will also establish a new security office in Hong Kong, with its own law enforcement personnel - neither of which would come under the local authority's jurisdiction.

Inciting hatred of China's central government and Hong Kong's regional government are now offences under Article 29.

The law can also be broken from abroad by non-residents, under Article 38.

This could mean that foreigners could be arrested if they step into Hong Kong, if they are suspected of breaking the new law.

Some critics feared the law would apply retroactively - that is, to offences committed before the law was passed - but Mr Zhang said that would not be the case.

He added that suspects arrested in Hong Kong on charges of violating the law may be tried on the mainland.

Under the national security law, many of the acts of protest that have rocked Hong Kong over the past year could now be classed as subversion or secession… and punished with up to life in prison.

The city's pro-Beijing leader, Carrie Lam, said the law was long overdue. Political activists have resigned and one pro-democracy protester, who asked to remain anonymous, told me that ordinary people are now deleting posts on social media.

Many people are just stopping talking about politics, and stopping talking about freedom and democracy, because they want to save their own lives. They want to save their freedom and avoid being arrested.

One contact of mine, a lawyer and human rights activist, sent me a message shortly after the law was passed. Please delete everything on this chat, he wrote

What was the reaction?
Mr Pompeo said the "draconian" law "destroyed Hong Kong's autonomy".

"Hong Kong demonstrated to the world what a free Chinese people could achieve - one of the most successful economies and vibrant societies in the world" he said.

"But Beijing's paranoia and fear of its own people's aspirations have led it to eviscerate the very foundation of the territory's success."

Meanwhile, Canada has updated its Hong Kong travel advice, saying: "You may be at increased risk of arbitrary detention on national security grounds and possible extradition to mainland China."


Media captionAi Weiwei: "Today is the darkest day for Hong Kong"
Minutes after the law was passed on Tuesday, pro-democracy activists began to quit, fearful of the punishment the new law allows.

"With sweeping powers and ill-defined law, the city will turn into a secret police state," said Joshua Wong, a pro-democracy leader.

The political party he co-founded - Demosisto - was also disbanded.

One opposition legislator told the BBC said the move had taken away the city's rights.

"Our rights are (being) taken away, our freedom is gone, our rule of law, our judicial independence is gone," said opposition legislator Ted Hui.

In the US, lawmakers from both parties have launched a bill to give refugee status to Hong Kong residents at risk of persecution, reported local media outlets.

Taiwan's government has said it would set up a special office to help those in Hong Kong facing immediate political risks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53244862
 
Hong Kong police arrest more than 300 in first protest under new security law

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police fired water cannon and tear gas and arrested more than 300 people on Wednesday as protesters took to the streets in defiance of sweeping security legislation introduced by China that critics say is aimed at snuffing out dissent.

Beijing unveiled the details of the much-anticipated law late on Tuesday after weeks of uncertainty, pushing China’s freest city and one of the world’s most glittering financial hubs on to a more authoritarian path.

As thousands of protesters gathered downtown for an annual rally marking the anniversary of the former British colony’s handover to China in 1997, riot police used pepper spray and fired pellets as they made arrests after crowds spilled into the streets chanting “resist till the end” and “Hong Kong independence”.

“I’m scared of going to jail but for justice I have to come out today, I have to stand up,” said one 35-year-old man who gave his name as Seth.

Police said they had made more than 300 arrests for illegal assembly and other offences, with nine involving suspected violations of the new law.

The law punishes crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, will see mainland security agencies in Hong Kong for the first time and allow for extradition to the mainland for trial.

China’s parliament adopted the law in response to protests last year triggered by fears that Beijing was stifling the city’s freedoms, guaranteed by a “one country, two systems” formula agreed when it returned to Chinese rule.

Police cited the law for in confronting protesters.

“You are displaying flags or banners/chanting slogans/or conducting yourselves with an intent such as secession or subversion, which may constitute offences under the ... national security law,” police said in a message displayed on a purple banner.

Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have repeatedly said the legislation is aimed at a few “troublemakers” and will not affect rights and freedoms, nor investor interests.

But critics fear it is aimed ending the pro-democracy opposition and will crush the freedoms that are seen as key to Hong Kong’s success as a financial centre.

The United States and its Asian and Western allies have criticised the legislation. Britain said it would stand by its word and offer all those in Hong Kong with British National Overseas status a “bespoke” immigration route. Britain and Canada also updated their travel advice for Hong Kong, saying there was an increased risk of detention.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab described Wednesday’s protests as heartbreaking and reprimanded HSBC and other banks for supporting the new law, saying the rights of Hong Kong should not be sacrificed for bankers’ bonuses.

Police fired water cannon to try to disperse the protesters. A game of cat-and-mouse reminiscent of last year’s often violent demonstrations followed, with protesters blocking roads before running away from riot police charging with batons, only to re-emerge elsewhere.

Police posted pictures on Twitter of an officer with a bleeding arm saying he was stabbed by “rioters holding sharp objects”. The suspects fled while bystanders offered no help, police said.

On July 1 last year, hundreds of protesters stormed and vandalised the city’s legislature to protest against a bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.

Those protests evolved into anti-China demonstrations and calls for democracy, paralysing parts of the city and paving the way for Beijing’s new law.

‘BIRTHDAY GIFT’

In Beijing, Zhang Xiaoming, executive deputy director of Beijing’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, told reporters suspects arrested by a new Beijing-run security office could be tried on the mainland.

He said the new office abided by Chinese law and that Hong Kong’s legal system could not be expected to implement the laws of the mainland. Article 55 of the law states that Beijing’s security office in Hong Kong could exercise jurisdiction over “complex” or “serious” cases.

“The law is a birthday gift to (Hong Kong) and will show its precious value in the future,” Zhang said, adding the law would not be applied retroactively.

Speaking at a flag-raising ceremony to mark the handover, the city’s Beijing-backed leader, Carrie Lam, said the law was the most important development since 1997.

“It is also an inevitable and prompt decision to restore stability,” Lam said at the harbour-front venue where the last colonial governor, Chris Patten, a staunch critic of the security law, tearfully handed back Hong Kong to China.

Some pro-Beijing officials and political commentators say the law is aimed at sealing Hong Kong’s “second return” to the motherland after the first failed to bring residents to heel.

Luo Huining, the head of Beijing’s top representative office in Hong Kong, said at the ceremony the law was a “common aspiration” of Hong Kong citizens.

Some pro-democracy activists gave up membership of their groups just before the law came into force into force at 11 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Tuesday, though they called for the campaign to carry on from abroad.

“I saw this morning there are celebrations for Hong Kong’s handover, but to me it is a funeral, a funeral for ‘one country two systems’,” said pro-democracy lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-protest-under-new-security-law-idUSKBN2423Y2
 
Pro-democracy leader to speak at US committee

Nathan Law, a founding member of pro-democracy group Demosisto, is expected to start speaking at a hearing of the US Foreign Affairs Committee about now.

In a statement on Facebook, Mr Law said he will be discussing the impact of the new national security law on Hong Kong.

He added that he risks personal repercussions from the Chinese government for speaking out, but hopes his testimony will raise international awareness of the law and what it means for Hong Kong residents.

"If we lose sight of it at the international level, Hong Kong’s resistance will fall into a more passive situation," said Mr Law. "At the same time, the international community will lack a window to understand the rule of the CCP’s authoritarian system."
 
What’s fascinating about this thread is just how little comment there is ...

This is where the Pakistani hypocrisy starts to shine ...whether it be the sterilisation of the Uighurs or now this move on Hong Kong...
 
The US House of Representatives has approved new Hong Kong-related sanctions, after Beijing imposed a security law that was condemned by countries around the world.

The measure, which was passed unanimously, penalises banks that do business with Chinese officials.

It will have to be approved by the Senate before going to President Trump.

Critics say China's law ends freedoms that were guaranteed for 50 years when British rule ended in 1997.

"The law is a brutal, sweeping crackdown against the people of Hong Kong, intended to destroy the freedoms they were promised," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the passing of the law was a "clear and serious breach" of the 1985 Sino-British joint declaration.

Under this declaration, Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997, with certain freedoms guaranteed for at least 50 years under the "one country, two systems" agreement.

China said the security law was necessary to stop the type of protests seen in Hong Kong during much of 2019.

And despite condemnation in the West, more than 50 countries, led by Cuba, supported China at the UN this week.

The Hong Kong Autonomy Act imposes sanctions on banks that do business with Chinese officials who are involved in cracking down on pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

Ms Pelosi said the law was an "urgently needed response to [China's passing] of its so-called 'national security' law... which is purpose built to dismantle democratic freedoms in Hong Kong".

Before the bill was signed, the US had already began eliminating Hong Kong's special status - halting defence exports and restricting the territory's access to high-technology products.

Last year, the US had also signed into law the Human Rights and Democracy Act, supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

What have other countries said?
The UK said it will offer up to three million Hong Kong residents the chance to settle there and ultimately apply for full British citizenship.

Australia is also "actively considering" offering safe haven to Hong Kong residents - with Prime Minister Scott Morrison saying there were proposals that will "soon be considered by cabinet".

Japan was among the other countries that spoke out against the law, calling it "regrettable".

"It will undermine trust for the principle of 'one country, two systems'" said Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

European Council President Charles Michel said it "deplored" the law - adding that it had a "detrimental effect on the independence of the judiciary and rule of law".

And Canada changed its travel advice to Hong Kong, saying the new law "increased the risk of arbitrary detention on national security grounds and possible extradition to mainland China".

Yesterday, a senior Chinese official slammed foreign critics, saying Hong Kong's affairs were "none of your business".

Have all countries been critical?
No. At the United Nations this week, Cuba - on behalf of 53 countries - welcomed the law.

Speaking at the 44th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, it said: "Non-interference in internal affairs of sovereign states is an essential principle enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

"We believe every country has the right to safeguard its national security through legislation, and commend relevant steps taken for this purpose."
Just hours after the law was passed, Hong Kong police made their first arrests.

Ten people were accused of violating the new law, including a man with a pro-independence flag. About 360 others were detained at a banned rally.

Under the new law, inciting hatred of China's central government and Hong Kong's regional government are offences.

Acts including damaging public transport facilities - which often happened during the 2019 protests - can be considered terrorism.
 
All these western countries can just talk now with their "acts" in their houses and parliaments , China has won the game on Hong Kong as well.
 
JaDed said:
All these western countries can just talk now with their "acts" in their houses and parliaments , China has won the game on Hong Kong as well.
Click to expand...

It’s a testament to how powerful China are that Britain’s response to China basically saying who cares about our agreement is ‘ok we’ll give 3m of you guys in Hong Kong citizenship if you want’...

China’s response is you sure you wanna annoy us like that
 
Hong Kong: US passes sanctions as nations condemn new law

The US House of Representatives has approved new Hong Kong-related sanctions, after Beijing imposed a security law that was condemned by countries around the world.

The measure, which was passed unanimously, penalises banks that do business with Chinese officials.

It will have to be approved by the Senate before going to President Trump.

Critics say China's law ends freedoms that were guaranteed for 50 years when British rule ended in 1997.

"The law is a brutal, sweeping crackdown against the people of Hong Kong, intended to destroy the freedoms they were promised," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the passing of the law was a "clear and serious breach" of the 1985 Sino-British joint declaration.

Under this declaration, Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997, with certain freedoms guaranteed for at least 50 years under the "one country, two systems" agreement.

The UK has offered residency, and then citizenship, to up to three million Hong Kongers.

But on Thursday China threatened "corresponding measures" to block the citizenship plan.

"If the British side makes unilateral changes to the relevant practice, it will breach its own position and pledges, as well as international law and basic norms," said the Chinese Embassy in the UK.

Meanwhile, a 24-year-old man from Hong Kong - suspected of stabbing a police officer during Wednesday's protests - has been arrested on a plane while trying to flee to London.

The suspect, known only as Mr Wong, was detained on the plane moments before it set off.

China said the security law was necessary to stop the type of protests seen in Hong Kong during much of 2019.

And despite widespread international condemnation from leading powers, more than 50 countries, led by Cuba, supported China at the UN this week.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53259656
 
shaykh said:
It’s a testament to how powerful China are that Britain’s response to China basically saying who cares about our agreement is ‘ok we’ll give 3m of you guys in Hong Kong citizenship if you want’...

China’s response is you sure you wanna annoy us like that
Click to expand...

Yup , I agree esp Britain considering all the deals they did w.r.t HK, guess China is not only able to bully Asia but also Europe, only Aus,USA remain now.
 
China has slammed the United Kingdom's decision to offer a path to citizenship for Hong Kong's residents, threatening potential "corresponding measures" and warning against interference in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

In a statement on Thursday, the Chinese embassy in London stressed all "Chinese compatriots residing in Hong Kong are Chinese nationals", and said the UK's offer was a violation of past communications between the two sides.

The British move - which could allow up to three million residents of Hong Kong to settle in the UK and ultimately apply for citizenship - came in response to a tough new national security law China enacted in Hong Kong this week.

The city was a British territory until its return to Chinese rule in 1997, and at the time of the handover, China promised to guarantee the city's legislative and judicial autonomy under a "one country, two systems" policy for 50 years.

But with Beijing seeking to punish what it calls separatism and foreign interference in Hong Kong, critics fear the legislation could put an end to the city's autonomy and freedoms, including the right to free speech and assembly.

US, Australia moves

It has triggered widespread criticism, with the United States also ending Hong Kong's special status under US law, halting defence exports and restricting the territory's access to high-technology products. The US Department of State meanwhile said it will bar officials responsible for rights abuses in Hong Kong from entering the country while the US House of Representatives on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill imposing sanctions against Chinese officials behind the security law.


Australia has also criticised Beijing's move, and said it was considering providing "similar opportunities" to Hong Kong people as those offered by the UK.

In its statement, the Chinese embassy in London called on the British government to "view objectively and fairly" the national security law and respect Beijing's position.

"If the British side makes unilateral changes to the relevant practice, it will breach its own position and pledges as well as international law and basic norms governing international relations," it said, adding: "We firmly oppose this and reserve the right to take corresponding measures."

It did not elaborate further.

A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry later slammed the US and Australian moves, saying: "No foreign country has the right to interfere."

Zhao Lijian said Washington's move to obstruct the implementation of the new law "are doomed to failure", saying China will "definitely take strong countermeasures and all consequences will be borne by the US side".

China has already announced visa restrictions against the US "individuals who have behaved egregiously" on matters concerning Hong Kong.

Separately, Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own, warned Taiwanese citizens to avoid unnecessary visits to or transit through Hong Kong, Macau or mainland China, calling the law "the most outrageous in history".

In Hong Kong, a group of pro-Beijing legislators and about 20 supporters gathered outside the US consulate on Thursday to condemn "American and foreign meddling in China's internal affairs".

Elizabeth Quat, a member of Hong Kong's legislature, said the arrest of some 370 protesters during demonstrations against the law on Wednesday showed the legislation was necessary to "restore" peace to the city.

Hong Kong was plunged into turmoil last year when a bill proposing extradition to mainland China triggered months of mass protests that at times descended into violence. The protests succeeded in getting authorities in Hong Kong to shelve the extradition bill, but prompted the central government in Beijing to bypass the city's legislature and impose the national security law.

Chinese state media on Thursday said the legislation would bring "prosperity and stability".

"We must face up to the fact that the existence of legal loopholes in safeguarding national security has already made Hong Kong society pay a heavy price," a commentary in the People's Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party, read.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-funeral-deadly-protests-200702083635708.html
 
JaDed said:
Yup , I agree esp Britain considering all the deals they did w.r.t HK, guess China is not only able to bully Asia but also Europe, only Aus,USA remain now.
Click to expand...

HSBC get 55% of their business from Hong Kong so they openly stated support for the new law...they are getting slammed for that ...

There is also the Huawei 5g deal to consider ...

A bit like the Saudis...economic entrenchment makes them untouchable...

I just find it incredible how brazen and confident China are at the moment ...
 
I do find it amusing how UK citizens could be offered Chinese citizenship ...somehow of the threats China is making I don’t think that’s one to worry about ...

Which Brits are going to choose Chinese citizenship?...and if there are those who do I don’t think they will be missed...
 
Zheng Yanxiong: China appoints hard-line Hong Kong security chief

China has appointed a hard-line figure as head of its new security agency in Hong Kong.

Zheng Yanxiong is best known for his role in dealing with a protest over a land dispute in the southern Chinese village of Wukan.

The new agency, answering directly to Beijing, is being set up to enforce a draconian security law passed this week in Hong Kong.

Opponents of the law say it erodes the territory's freedoms.

The law targets secession, subversion and terrorism with punishments of up to life in prison.

Several leading pro-democracy activists have stepped down from their roles and one of them, one-time student leader and local legislator Nathan Law, has fled the territory.

Separately, one of 10 people arrested using the new law during protests on Wednesday has become the first to be charged under it. Hundreds were detained during the clashes.

The motorcyclist, accused of riding into a group of police while carrying a flag calling for the liberation of Hong Kong, was charged with inciting secession and terrorism.

Beijing has dismissed criticism of the law, saying it is necessary to stop the type of pro-democracy protests seen in Hong Kong during much of 2019.

Hong Kong's sovereignty was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 and certain rights were supposed to be guaranteed for at least 50 years under the "one country, two systems" agreement.

But China has rejected complaints by the UK and other Western nations that it is in breach of these guarantees as interference in its internal affairs.

What do we know about China's new appointees?

Mr Zheng's most recent senior position was as secretary general of the Communist Party committee in the southern province of Guangdong.

But he is best known as party boss in the Guangdong city of Shanwei when a protest by villagers in Wukan seeking compensation for land requisitioned by the government broke out in 2011.

He famously criticised the villagers for talking to "a few rotten foreign media organisations" instead of the government about their grievances.

"These media organisations will only be happy when our socialist county falls apart," he said in remarks broadcast on local TV.

The unrest led to a rare concession by the authorities, with the direct election of a popular local leader. However, five years later he was jailed for corruption and the protests were quashed.

Though by then Mr Zheng was no longer in his Shanxei role, he was still a senior party official in Guangdong.

Other appointments by Beijing include Luo Huining, who has been made adviser to Hong Kong's chief executive on the new security law.

Mr Luo currently heads Beijing's liaison office in the territory. Veteran Hong Kong official Eric Chan will head the territory's national security commission.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53275405
 
Hong Kong man accused of terrorism in first use of new China security law

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A man carrying a “Liberate Hong Kong” sign as he drove a motorcycle into police at a protest against the territory’s Chinese rulers became on Friday the first person charged with inciting separatism and terrorism under a new security law.

Beijing imposed the legislation on the former British colony earlier this week despite protests from Hong Kongers and Western nations, setting China’s freest city and a major financial hub on a more authoritarian track.

Critics say the law - which punishes crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison - is aimed at crushing dissent and a long-running campaign for greater democracy.

Police say 23-year-old Tong Ying-kit rammed and injured some officers at an illegal protest on Wednesday. A video online showed a motorbike knocking over several officers on a narrow street before the driver falls over and is arrested.

Tong, who was hospitalised after the incident, was charged less than 24 hours after the city government said the slogan he was carrying - “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times” - connotes separatism or subversion under the new law.

The rallying cry appears on placards, T-shirts, and post-it notes stuck to walls around Hong Kong.

China’s parliament adopted the security law after sometimes violent protests last year triggered by fears Beijing was stifling freedoms, guaranteed by a “one country, two systems” formula agreed when Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong say the law aims at a few “troublemakers” and not wider rights that underpin the city’s role as a gateway for capital flows in and out of China.

But international anxiety is growing after authorities arrested 10 people under the new law within 24 hours of it taking effect. The European Union (EU) has put Hong Kong high on its agenda while the United Nations’ rights office expressed alarm over arrests.

“I’M NOT SCARED”

At another court, dozens gathered in solidarity with a man charged for stabbing a policeman in the arm during Wednesday’s disturbances. They held up blank pieces of paper to show fears for free speech.

“I’m not scared. Come what may,” said a 25-year-old protester who gave his name only as Wilson.

On Wednesday’s 23rd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule, police arrested about 370 people, with 10 cases involving violations of the new law.

In a further ominous sign for activists, a Communist Party cadre prominent during a 2011 clampdown on land rights protesters in a south China village is to head a newly-empowered national security office in Hong Kong, official news agency Xinhua said.

Zheng Yanxiong, 57, most recently served as secretary general of the Communist Party committee of Guangdong province, bordering Hong Kong.

Leaked footage during the 2011 dispute showed him berating villagers and calling foreign media “rotten”.

The new legislation gives the security office greater enforcement action and powers to take suspects onto the mainland, as well as granting privileges for agents, including that Hong Kong authorities cannot inspect their vehicles.

Some activists have been keeping a low profile or leaving.

Demosisto, a pro-democracy group led by Joshua Wong, disbanded hours after the legislation was passed, while prominent group member Nathan Law left the city.

“The protests in Hong Kong have been a window for the world to recognise that China is getting more and more authoritarian,” Law told Reuters.

Hong Kong’s publicly-funded public broadcaster RTHK, which has felt the pressure of government scrutiny, appeared to take heed of the law, reproducing the slogan as “L*******#HongKong” in a comment on Twitter, to the scorn of some social media users.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...t-use-of-new-china-security-law-idUSKBN2440A6
 
China rebukes Canada over criticism of Hong Kong security law

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - China fired back at Canada on Saturday for criticising Beijing’s national security law for Hong Kong, the second rebuke in a week that has added to strains on their bilateral ties.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday that Canada was suspending its extradition treaty with Hong Kong due to the law and Canada’s foreign minister called the legislation “a significant step back” for liberty.

China’s embassy in Ottawa said in a statement on its website that Canada had “grossly interfered” in Chinese affairs, adding that the new legislation would safeguard security in Hong Kong.

“Some western countries including Canada have been meddling in Hong Kong affairs under the pretext of human rights, which seriously violates international law and basic norms of international relations,” a spokesperson said in the statement.

China imposed the legislation this week despite protests by Hong Kongers and criticism from Western nations, which said the legislation was setting the financial hub on an authoritarian track.

Hong Kong officials said on Saturday they were “very disappointed” in Canada’s suspension of the extradition treaty.

Officials in the offices of Canada’s prime minister and deputy prime minister could not immediately be reached for comment.

Relations between Beijing and Ottawa have been tense since 2018 when Canada arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co, on a U.S. warrant.

After Meng was detained, China arrested Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig, a former diplomat, and Michael Spavor, a businessman, on charges of espionage.

China also rebuked Canada a week ago over Ottawa’s criticism about the prosecution of the Canadians.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...icism-of-hong-kong-security-law-idUSKBN2450G9
 
Hong Kong security law: Pro-democracy books pulled from libraries

Books by pro-democracy figures have been removed from public libraries in Hong Kong in the wake of a controversial new security law.

The works will be reviewed to see if they violate the new law, the authority which runs the libraries said.

The legislation targets secession, subversion and terrorism with punishments of up to life in prison.

Opponents say it erodes the territory's freedoms as a semi-autonomous region of China. Beijing rejects this.

Hong Kong's sovereignty was handed back to China by Britain in 1997 and certain rights were supposed to be guaranteed for at least 50 years under the "one country, two systems" agreement.

Since the security law came into effect on Tuesday, several leading pro-democracy activists have stepped down from their roles. One of them - one-time student leader and local legislator Nathan Law - has fled the territory.

At least nine books have become unavailable or marked as "under review", according to the South China Morning Post newspaper. They include books authored or co-authored by Joshua Wong, a prominent pro-democracy activist, and pro-democracy politician Tanya Chan.

On Saturday, Mr Wong tweeted that the new law "imposes a mainland-style censorship regime" on Hong Kong, calling it "one step away from ... actual book banning".

Beijing has dismissed criticism of the law, saying it is necessary to stop the type of mass pro-democracy protests seen in Hong Kong during much of 2019, which at times exploded into very violent clashes between protesters and police.

It has rejected complaints by the UK and other Western nations that it is in breach of guarantees it made to protect Hong Kong's unique freedoms as interference in its internal affairs.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53296810
 
China has warned the UK not to interfere with Hong Kong following the imposition of a new national security law, as one pro-democracy campaigner begged for international support.

Ambassador Liu Xiaoming said the UK's offer of a path to citizenship for up to three million Hong Kongers amounted to "gross interference".

The offer came after Beijing brought in the controversial and sweeping new law.

Opponents say it erodes the territory's freedoms as a semi-autonomous region.

Activist Joshua Wong had earlier called for more support, asking his fellow Hong Kongers and the wider world not to "kowtow" to Beijing.

But Ambassador Liu said he hoped the UK would reconsider its offer.

"The UK government keeps making irresponsible remarks on Hong Kong affairs," he told reporters.

The ambassador said a decision on exactly how Beijing intended to respond to the citizenship offer would be made once it knew the details.

Mr Liu also warned the UK that if it decided against using Chinese tech giant Huawei's technology to build its 5G network, this would send a "very bad message to other Chinese businesses".

The UK has argued that China has reneged on an agreement that took effect in 1997, which offered certain freedoms to Hong Kong for 50 years in return for handing the territory back to Beijing.

Later on Monday, a spokesman for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged China not to interfere if Hong Kongers with British National (Overseas) status sought to come to the UK.

"We would expect China to understand the importance of adhering to international law," the spokesman said.

He added: "We are currently assessing the national security law and its legal ramifications in terms of extradition with Hong Kong.

"There are already extensive extradition safeguards in the UK. The courts are required to bar a person's extradition to any country if it would be incompatible with their human rights or if the request appears to be motivated by their political opinion."

Also on Monday, Facebook and its messaging service WhatsApp said they had "paused" processing requests for information from the Hong Kong government and law enforcement agencies "pending further assessment of the impact of the national security law".

The assessment will include "formal human rights due diligence and consultations with human rights experts", according to a statement.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-53307327
 
China has opened an office to "safeguard national security" in Hong Kong, turning a hotel near a hotspot for pro-democracy protests and the annual vigil marking the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown into its new headquarters.

Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, called the inauguration on Wednesday of the Office of Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region an "historic moment" for the semi-autonomous city.

Speaking at a ceremony at the former Metropark Hotel, Lam said Hong Kong residents "are witnessing another milestone in the establishment of a sound legal system and enforcement mechanism for maintaining national security in Hong Kong".

The office, in the bustling shopping and commercial district of Causeway Bay, near Victoria Park, will allow Chinese intelligence agents to operate openly in Hong Kong for the first time since the 1997 handover and oversee the enactment of the sweeping national security legislation that was imposed on the city last week.

The law - which bans what China calls secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces - empowers the office to take enforcement action in the most serious cases. It also allows agents to take suspects across the border for trials in Communist Party-controlled courts and specifies special privileges for Chinese agents, including that Hong Kong authorities cannot inspect their vehicles.

As the new bureau was opened, officials said school students would be banned from singing "Glory to Hong Kong", the protest movement's unofficial anthem, as well as any other songs with political messages. Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung told lawmakers students should also not take part in class boycotts, organise human chains or chant slogans.

Hardliner boss

Zheng Yanxiong, the newly appointed chief of the office, and Luo Huining, the head of China's Liaison Office in the city - Beijing's top representative office - attended the opening ceremony.

Luo said the new office was an "envoy for safeguarding Hong Kong" and "the gatekeeper of national security" in the city.

"Those with ulterior motives and who are anti-China and seek to destabilise Hong Kong have not only stigmatised the office, but also smeared the legal system and rule of law in the Chinese mainland in an attempt to stir up unnecessary worries and fears among Hong Kong residents," he added.

Zheng said the office would enforce the law strictly "without infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of any individual or organisation".

A Communist Party hardliner and a speaker of Hong Kong's Cantonese dialect, Zheng became prominent during a clampdown on land rights protesters in a village across the border in neighbouring Guangdong province.

Leaked footage during the 2011 dispute showed him berating villagers of Wukan and calling foreign media "rotten".

Zheng, who most recently served as secretary-general of the Communist Party committee of Guangdong, has never held a post outside Guangdong. He worked at the Communist Party's official People's Daily in its southern regional bureau for four years and was vice minister in charge of propaganda for Guangdong from 2013 to 2018.

The national security law marks the most radical shift in Hong Kong's governance since the United Kingdom returned the city to China in 1997, under the "one country, two systems" formula that assured the city autonomy and freedoms unknown on the mainland.

DNA swabs
Lam's government on Monday granted police sweeping new powers under the new law, including the authority to intercept communications, conduct searches without a warrant and stop people from leaving Hong Kong.

Critics fear it will crush the territory's freedoms, while supporters say it will bring stability after a year of sometimes violent protests calling for more democracy.

Police have arrested at least 10 people, including a 15-year-old, under the new law for suspected threats to China's national security. Janet Pang Ho-yan, a lawyer representing those arrested, said police collected DNA samples from her clients and searched their homes.

"We are shocked to learn that the police handled the cases like this because our clients only carried or are found to have some promotional materials," Pang told the South China Morning Post on Saturday.

"According to news reports, they include flags, stickers or leaflets … What is the DNA sample collection for? What do they want to prove? They already found the items … They also collected personal data in a disproportionate manner."

The Hong Kong Free Press, citing the city police, said officers are authorised to collect DNA samples if there are "reasonable grounds" to suspect the person has committed a "serious offence".

Meanwhile, in a reflection of the widespread unease over the legislation, major US internet companies including Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Twitter and Zoom have announced they have suspended the processing of requests for user data from the Hong Kong authorities while they study it.

Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, which only operates outside China, said on Tuesday it would exit the Hong Kong market within days. Its departure means Hong Kong users, like those in mainland China, will be cut off.

The United States has begun removing Hong Kong's special status in US law as Washington no longer deems the global financial hub sufficiently autonomous from mainland China.

US President Donald Trump's top advisers weighed proposals to undermine the Hong Kong currency's peg to the US dollar, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter, although the idea did not appear to gain traction.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...ecurity-office-hong-kong-200708032647026.html
 
FBI chief says China threatens families of overseas critics in US

Programme called 'Fox Hunt' aimed at silencing Beijing's critics living outside of China who are regarded as threats.

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday urged people born in China and living in the United States to contact the FBI if Beijing officials tried to force them to return to the country under a programme of coercion that he said is led by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Wray issued the unusual appeal in an address to the Hudson Institute think-tank in which he reiterated US charges that China is using espionage, cyber theft, blackmail and all other means as part of a strategy to replace the US as the world's dominant superpower.

Wray said that almost half of nearly 5,000 active FBI counterintelligence cases now underway are related to China.

"We've now reached a point where the FBI is opening a new China-related counterintelligence case about every 10 hours," Wray said.

The FBI director said Xi has "spearheaded" a programme called Fox Hunt aimed at strong-arming people born in China living outside of the country who are regarded as threats to return home in order to silence criticism of Beijing's political and human rights policies.

The families of those who refuse to return are threatened and some have been arrested in China "for leverage", Wray said.

"Hundreds of these Fox Hunt victims that they target live here in the United States, and many are American citizens or green card holders," he continued. "The Chinese government wants to force them to return to China and China's tactics to accomplish this are shocking."

The Chinese embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wray's address. Beijing has denied US charges that it employs cyber espionage against the US.

Wray shared a case in which he said the Chinese government sent "an emissary" to visit a family in the US of an unidentified target who could not be located. The emissary left a message that the target could choose between returning to China or committing suicide, Wray said.

"I want to take this opportunity to note that if you believe the Chinese government is targeting you, that you are a potential Fox Hunt victim, please reach out to your local FBI field office," he said.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...amilies-overseas-critics-200707204953764.html
 
500,000 Hong Kongers cast 'protest' vote against new security laws

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong citizens queued to cast ballots over the weekend in what the Chinese-ruled city’s opposition camp says is a symbolic protest vote against tough national security laws directly imposed by Beijing.

The unofficial poll will decide the strongest pro-democracy candidates to contest Legislative Council elections in September, when they aim to ride a wave of anti-China sentiment stirred by the law to seize control for the first time from pro-Beijing rivals.

While the primaries are only for the opposition camp, observers are watching closely as they say the turnout will serve as a test of broader opposition to the law, which critics say will gravely undermine the city’s freedoms.

“A high turnout will send a very strong signal to the international community, that we Hong Kongers never give up,” said Sunny Cheung, 24, one of a batch of aspiring young democrats out lobbying and giving stump speeches.

“And that we still stand with the democratic camp, we still support democracy and freedom.”

Defying warnings from a senior Hong Kong official that the vote might fall foul of the national security law, residents young and old flocked to over 250 polling stations across the city, manned by thousands of volunteers.

Long queues formed down streets, in residential estates and at businesses-turned-polling stations, with people casting an online ballot on their mobile phones after having their identities verified.

Organisers said 500,000 people had voted by late afternoon on Sunday, in the city of 7.5 million. The full turnout is expected to be announced on Monday morning after two full days of voting this weekend.

The law punishes what China describes broadly as secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison and allows mainland security agents to operate officially in Hong Kong for the first time.

Despite this tactical vote to maximise their chances, some pro-democracy activists fear authorities will try to stop some candidates from running in September’s election.

“They can arrest or disqualify any candidate they don’t like under the national security law without a proper reason,” said Owen Chow, a young democratic “localist” candidate.

At a time when Hong Kong authorities have barred public marches and rallies for months on end amid coronavirus social restrictions, and arrested individuals for shouting slogans and holding up blank sheets of paper, the vote is being seen as a crucial and rare window for populist expression.

“It’s a proxy referendum against the national security law,” said Democratic lawmaker Eddie Chu outside a metro station.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-vote-against-new-security-laws-idUSKCN24D0CP
 
Sweden joins France, Germany in weighing measures against China over Hong Kong

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Sweden said on Monday it supported Franco-German efforts for a robust response to China’s new security law on Hong Kong, joining Denmark and the Netherlands in pushing the European Union to consider countermeasures on Beijing.

Like much of the West, the European Union has denounced the decision by China’s parliament to pass national security legislation for the former British colony of Hong Kong despite an international outcry.

But its threat of reprisals is vague.

“There is a proposal of measures especially proposed by Germany and France that I will support because we need to react to what is happening in Hong Kong,” said Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde said before a rare meeting in person with her EU counterparts in Brussels.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last month warned of “very negative consequences” for Beijing if it curtailed guarantees of freedom in Hong Kong that are not enjoyed on the mainland.

EU officials declined to go into details about the measures, but two EU diplomats said they did not amount to formal sanctions on China, the bloc’s second-largest trading partner.

Instead, they entail extending the EU’s export ban on equipment that could be used for torture or repressive policing, such as spiked batons or rubber bullets, giving Hong Kong activists long-term refugee status in the bloc and supporting more opportunities for Hong Kong students to study in Europe.

Sweden is seeking the release of its citizen Gui Minhai, who was sentenced to 10 years in jail in February, accused by Beijing of illegally providing intelligence overseas.

Gui, a bookseller previously based in Hong Kong who sold books critical of China’s political leadership, was detained by mainland police in 2018. He was seized while with Swedish diplomats on a Beijing-bound train.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...es-against-china-over-hong-kong-idUSKCN24E17P
 
U.S. President Donald Trump says today he signed legislation and an executive order to hold China accountable for its actions against Hong Kong
 
China has said it would retaliate after US President Donald Trump ordered an end to preferential trade treatment for Hong Kong and signed legislation allowing sanctions over Beijing's enactment of a draconian security law in the semi-autonomous city.

In a statement on Wednesday, China's foreign ministry said it "firmly opposes and strongly condemns" the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which unanimously passed the US Congress earlier this month and approves sanctions on Chinese officials and banks over Beijing's clampdown in Hong Kong.

"China will make necessary responses to protect its legitimate interests, and impose sanctions on relevant US personnel and entities," the ministry added, without elaborating.

The Chinese warning came amid mounting tensions with the US - not just over Hong Kong - but also over trade, the global coronavirus pandemic, China's military buildup in the South China Sea and its treatment of Uighur Muslims in the western region of Xinjiang.

Trump on Tuesday stepped up the pressure to punish Beijing for what he called its "aggressive actions" in Hong Kong, a former British colony that was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the promise of autonomy and freedoms not known in mainland China.

"Today I signed legislation, and an executive order to hold China accountable for its aggressive actions against the people of Hong Kong," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China - no special privileges, no special economic treatment and no export of sensitive technologies," he said.

"Their freedom has been taken away; their rights have been taken away," Trump added. "And with it goes Hong Kong, in my opinion, because it will no longer be able to compete with free markets. A lot of people will be leaving Hong Kong."

China had defied international warnings earlier this month by imposing the national security law, which criminalises offences it broadly defines as subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. The legislation sent a chill through Hong Kong, which last year saw massive, and sometimes violent, pro-democracy protests.

In response, the US Congress unanimously passed the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, which targets police units that have cracked down on Hong Kong protesters as well as Chinese Communist Party officials responsible for imposing the new security law.

Mandatory sanctions are also required on banks that conduct business with the officials.

Trump's executive order on Tuesday said the US property of any person determined to be responsible for or complicit in "actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions in Hong Kong" would be blocked.

It also directs officials to "revoke license exceptions for exports to Hong Kong", and includes revoking special treatment for Hong Kong passport holders.

However, analysts say that completely ending Hong Kong's special treatment could prove self-defeating for the US.

Hong Kong was the source of the largest bilateral US goods trade surplus last year, at $26.1bn, US Census Bureau data shows. According to the US Department of State, 85,000 US citizens lived in Hong Kong in 2018, and more than 1,300 US companies operate there, including nearly every major US financial firm.

The territory is also a major destination for US legal and accounting services.

Al Jazeera's Divya Gopalan, reporting from Hong Kong, said Washington's move has worried businesses in the city.

"The Hong Kong government says this is likely to hurt the US more than it will hurt Hong Kong, and indeed, if you look at the numbers, the US has a bigger trade surplus with Hong Kong. But the reality is there are many Hong Kong businesses that rely on this special status with the US," she said.

"Hong Kong is a re-exporting hub, which means that goods and services come through Hong Kong into the US to avoid those trade sanctions or restrictions that China may have in dealing with the US."

The US began eliminating Hong Kong's special status under US law in late June, halting defence exports and restricting the territory's access to high-technology products.

Other actions in the works include suspending an extradition treaty with Hong Kong, something Australia has already done, as well as ending legal cooperation agreements, taxation accords and financial understandings that cover accounting rules for Chinese businesses that work in the US.

At the same time, the Trump administration has pressed ahead with travel bans for Chinese, Hong Kong and Communist Party officials the US believes are responsible for curtailing democracy in Hong Kong.

The administration has also gone after China by imposing travel bans on officials for repressing minorities in Xinjiang and hindering foreigners' access to Tibet.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US had decided to reject outright virtually all Chinese maritime claims in the South China Sea, a determination that could lead to increased tensions in disputed, critical international shipping lanes.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...tion-hong-kong-sanctions-200715033941380.html
 
UK suspends extradition arrangements with Hong Kong

The United Kingdom suspended its extradition treaty and blocked arms sales with Hong Kong on Monday after China imposed a tough new national security law and was accused of forcibly sterilising ethnic minority women in Xinjiang.

As tensions grow with Beijing, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he had concerns about the new law and alleged human rights abuses in China, particularly the treatment of the Muslim Uighur minority. He described the measures as "reasonable and proportionate".

"We will protect our vital interests,'' Raab said. "We will stand up for our values and we will hold China to its international obligations.''

The UK followed the example of the United States, Australia and Canada by suspending extradition arrangements with the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

The ban is another nail in the coffin of what then-prime minister David Cameron in 2015 cast as a "golden era" of ties with China, the world's second-largest economy.

London has been dismayed by a crackdown in Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 from British rule, and the perception that China did not tell the whole truth over the coronavirus outbreak.

Al Jazeera's Neave Barker said the UK government has offered three responses to China's new security law, which "has created new crimes and new severe punishments".

"The first is to offer refuge to up to three million Hong Kong citizens to come live and work in the UK," Barker said, speaking from London.

"The second is to extend an arms embargo to mainland China - which has been in place since the late 1980s - to Hong Kong and that includes equipment that Raab said could be used for 'acts of internal repression' - which seems to be a veiled criticism of police tactics in Hong Kong against demonstrators.

"The third is to end a 30-year extradition agreement between the UK and Hong Kong, which will be effective immediately."

The arms embargo extends a measure in place for China since 1989. It means Britain will allow no exports of potentially lethal weapons, their components or ammunition, as well as equipment that might be used for internal repression such as shackles, firearms and smoke grenades

The review of the extradition measures comes only days after Britain backtracked on plans to give Chinese telecommunications company Huawei a role in the UK's new high-speed mobile phone network amid security concerns fuelled by rising tensions between Beijing and Western powers.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has already criticised China's decision to impose the sweeping national security law on Hong Kong.

The UK accused Beijing of a serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration - under which the UK returned control of Hong Kong to China in 1997 - and announced it would open a special route to citizenship for up to three million eligible residents of the community.

But Johnson said on Monday he would not "completely abandon our policy of engagement" with Beijing.

The UK leader said he will not be "pushed into a position of becoming a knee-jerk Sinophobe on every issue, somebody who is automatically anti-China".

"China is a giant factor of geopolitics, it's going to be a giant factor in our lives and in the lives of our children and grandchildren. You have got to have a calibrated response and we are going to be tough on some things, but also going to continue to engage," said Johnson.

China's ambassador to Britain, Liu Xiaoming, told the BBC on Sunday that Britain was "dancing to the tune" of the United States and rejected the allegations of human rights abuses against the mainly Muslim Uighur people.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...n-arrangements-hong-kong-200720152124249.html
 
China warns UK of 'consequences' over Hong Kong 'interference'

The UK will "bear the consequences" if it continues to go "down the wrong road" on Hong Kong, China has warned.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-53481397

Looks like China is the biggest enemy of the world now.
 
Jew-nited states and it's allies are terrified of the economical and military Monster China has become , hence all the false allegations being triggered by their propaganda machines.
 
All honourable countries should support Hong Kong in its fight against US imperalism!
 
Too late US, something that had to be done 10 years ago ,now unless Germany supports these efforts China will slowly become stronger and stronger all depends upon Germany.
 
Coronavirus: Hong Kong on verge of 'large-scale' outbreak, says Carrie Lam

Hong Kong's hospital system could face "collapse" as it grapples with a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, the city's leader Carrie Lam has warned.

She said the city was "on the verge of a large-scale community outbreak" and urged people to stay indoors.

New regulations, including mandatory face masks and the closure of dine-in restaurants, kicked in on Wednesday.

Hong Kong - which had early success against Covid-19 - is now regularly reporting over 100 new daily cases.

Less than a month ago, the average number of new daily cases was under 10.

What did Carrie Lam say?

In a statement late on Tuesday, Ms Lam warned the city was on the "verge of a large-scale community outbreak, which may lead to a collapse of our hospital system and cost lives, especially of the elderly".

She called on residents to adhere "strictly to social distancing measures and stay at home as far as possible".

Her remarks come as Hong Kong confirmed another 106 coronavirus cases on Tuesday, and reported its 23rd overall death.

A record 145 cases were recorded on Monday.

What are the new restrictions?

From Wednesday, dining in restaurants is banned, and only two people from different households can meet, under the toughest rules Hong Kong has adopted so far.

It's also now compulsory for face masks to be worn in all public places.

It was earlier announced that spaces like bars, gyms and beauty parlours would be closed.

At the start of the month, public gatherings of up to 50 people were allowed - but that was reduced to four, and now two.
Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-53575875
 
BREAKING: Hong Kong leader delays local elections

Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam has said September's local elections will be postponed because of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the territory.

It is not yet clear when it is being delayed to.

September's poll was seen as a test of support for pro-democracy candidates in Hong Kong, after China's imposition of a controversial national security law.

Coronavirus cases have recently been on the rise in Hong Kong, a special administrative territory of China.
 
China vows retaliation if any U.S. action against journalists

BEIJING/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China vowed on Tuesday to retaliate if the United States persisted with “hostile action” against Chinese journalists who may be forced to leave in coming days if their U.S. visas are not extended.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters at a daily briefing that no Chinese journalist in the United States had been granted a visa extension since the United States, on May 11, limited their stay to 90 days, with an option to extend.

“The U.S. has been escalating its actions against Chinese journalists,” Wang told reporters. “The U.S. should immediately correct its mistake and stop its actions.”

“If the U.S. persists, China will take a necessary and legitimate response to safeguard its rights,” he said.

Wang did not say how many Chinese journalists were affected or what retaliation China might consider, but the editor of China’s Global Times newspaper said earlier U.S. journalists based in Hong Kong would be among those targeted should Chinese journalists be forced to leave the United States.

“Chinese side has prepared for the worst scenario that all Chinese journalists have to leave,” Hu said on Twitter.

“If that’s the case, Chinese side will retaliate, including targeting US journalists based in HK.”

The Global Times is published by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party.

The two countries, whose relations have deteriorated sharply recently over various issues including trade and the novel coronavirus, have exchanged several ***-for-tat actions involving journalists in recent months.

The United States in March slashed the number of Chinese nationals allowed to work at the U.S. offices of major Chinese state-owned media to 100 from 160.

China expelled U.S. journalists working for three U.S. newspapers - New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post - this year and has threatened to match any more U.S. action against Chinese journalists.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-u-s-action-against-journalists-idUSKCN25002U
 
U.S. imposes sanctions on Hong Kong's Lam, other officials over crackdown

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the territory’s current and former police chiefs and eight other officials for their role in curtailing political freedoms in the territory.

The sanctions were imposed under an executive order U.S. President Donald Trump signed last month to punish China for its moves against dissent in Hong Kong and are the latest action by his administration against Beijing in the run-up to his November re-election bid.

As well as Lam, the sanctions target Hong Kong Police commissioner Chris Tang and his predecessor Stephen Lo; John Lee Ka-chiu, Hong Kong’s secretary of security, and Teresa Cheng, the justice secretary, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.

It said Beijing’s imposition of draconian national security legislation had undermined Hong Kong’s autonomy and allowed mainland security services to operate with impunity, “setting the groundwork for censorship of any individuals or outlets that are deemed unfriendly to China.””Carrie Lam is the chief executive directly responsible for implementing Beijing’s policies of suppression of freedom and democratic processes,” it said.

“The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and we will use our tools and authorities to target those undermining their autonomy,” Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.

The sanctions freeze any U.S. asset of the officials and generally bar Americans from doing business with them.

Tensions between the United States and China have been increasing daily. China’s foreign ministry said on Friday it firmly opposes executive orders that Trump announced this week to ban U.S. transactions with the Chinese owners of the WeChat and TikTok apps.

Last month, Carrie Lam postponed a Sept. 6 election to Hong Kong’s legislature by a year because of a rise in coronavirus cases, dealing a blow to the pro-democracy opposition that had hoped to make huge gains.

The United States condemned the action, saying it was the latest example of Beijing undermining democracy in the Chinese-ruled territory.

A source familiar with the matter said U.S. deliberations on the sanctions intensified after the election postponement.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-other-officials-over-crackdown-idUSKCN253215
 
US evil designs shall never succeed in Hong Kong. Sanctions cannot threaten the people of Hong Kong.
 
Hong Kong business tycoon Jimmy Lai has been arrested and his newspaper offices raided by police over allegations of collusion with foreign forces.

His case is the most high-profile arrest so far under the controversial security law imposed by China in June.

Mr Lai has been a prominent pro-democracy voice and a supporter of protests that erupted last year.

In February the 71-year-old, who also holds UK citizenship, was charged with illegal assembly and intimidation.

He was granted police bail.

Jimmy Lai: Rebel mogul and pro-democracy voice
Hong Kong security law: What is it and is it worrying?
The Hong Kong residents ready to leave for the UK
Chinese state media Global Times on Monday described Mr Lai as "riot supporter" and his publications as having been "instigating hatred, spreading rumors and smearing Hong Kong authorities and the mainland for years".

The Global Times also reported that two of his sons as well as two senior executives of Next Digital had also been arrested.

Scores of police were also seen entering the building of his newspaper Apple Daily, searching the offices.

Police confirmed on Facebook that seven men aged 39-72 had been arrested on "suspicion of collusion with foreign forces" and other offences, but did not name Mr Lai.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53717843
 
China imposes sanctions on Republican U.S. lawmakers over Hong Kong

BEIJING (Reuters) - China imposed sanctions on 11 U.S. citizens including lawmakers from President Donald Trump Republican Party on Monday in response to Washington’s imposition of sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials accused of curtailing political freedoms in the former British colony.

Those targeted were six Republican lawmakers - Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Josh Hawley and Pat Toomey and Representative Chris Smith - as well as individuals at non-profit and rights groups.

“In response to that wrong U.S. behaviour, China has decided to impose sanctions on individuals who have behaved egregiously on Hong Kong-related issues,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a press briefing on Monday.

He did not specify what the sanctions entail.

White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said the Chinese sanctions were “symbolic and ineffectual”, but declined to say if the U.S. government would respond.

“A growing number of nations around the globe are demanding real action from Beijing”, she told reporters, citing widespread concerns about the national security law imposed on Hong Kong. “This President has stood strongly against China and will continue to do so.”

Relations between the world’s two largest economies have deteriorated sharply in recent months over issues ranging from trade, to Hong Kong and China’s handling of the novel coronavirus. Trump has made tough talk against China a feature of his campaign for re-election.

China’s sanctions are the latest in a ***-for-tat round of measures between Beijing and Washington over accusations of rights abuses and interference.

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the city’s current and former police chiefs.

The U.S. lawmakers targeted by China on Monday have been among vocal critics of a new national security law that Beijing imposed on Hong Kong in late June.

Members of Congress typically take sanctions from U.S. adversaries as compliments, not problems. Hawley’s office issued a statement that he would not “back down” and that he would “continue defending America’s interests.”

It was the second time recently China has announced sanctions against Republicans. Last month, Beijing targeted Cruz, Rubio and Smith after Washington penalized Chinese officials over the treatment of Uighur Muslims.

Beijing’s latest measure includes sanctions against the heads of five U.S.-based, non-government organizations. All five groups had been subjected to sanctions in December in connection with their positions on Hong Kong.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...an-u-s-lawmakers-over-hong-kong-idUSKCN2560RN
 
Released tycoon Lai says Hong Kong needs patient, not radical, democracy campaign

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai said on Thursday he was overwhelmed by the support he got after becoming the most high-profile person to be arrested under a new national security law and urged patience in a “long-term fight” for democracy.

Lai, a staunch supporter of the city’s democracy movement, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of collusion with foreign forces as police raided the offices of his Apple Daily tabloid.

He was released on bail early on Wednesday, and greeted by a throng of supporters chanting “fight till the end”.

In a #LiveChatWithJimmy video appearance on Twitter, Lai thanked his supporters and said their action showed the police raid was a “violation of Hong Kong people’s belief” in wide-ranging freedoms, which he likened to oxygen.

“The oxygen is getting thin, and we are all choking, but when we’re choking we’re still taking care of each other and keep resisting and keep fighting for our rule of law and freedom,” he said.

Lai, who China sees as a “traitor”, was arrested under a new security law imposed by Beijing on June 30 in response to a year of pro-democracy unrest in the former British colony, which returned to China in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula aimed at preserving its autonomy.

Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, fuelled by fears Beijing has been eroding city freedoms, has enjoyed and sustained broad support in the city.

Lai said pro-democracy activists had to play a long game.

“We cannot be radical, we cannot confront them face-to-face because we’re just like an egg and they are a high wall,” he said.

“We have to flexible, and innovative and patient, but persist.”

The law punishes whatever China considers subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

Critics say the law brings semi-autonomous Hong Kong closer to mainland China’s authoritarianism, while its supporters say it will bring stability to the city and safeguard its prosperity.

Since Lai’s arrest people have been queuing up early in the morning to buy his Apple Daily, and many have also bought shares in Next Digital (0282.HK), Lai’s media company that publishes his newspaper, sparking a rally of more than 2,000% at its peak.

Lai called the rise in share price an “ephemeral phenomenon” and urged people “not to touch it”.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-not-radical-democracy-campaign-idUSKCN2590FW
 
Hong Kong leader says won't take U.S. sanctions against her to heart

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday she was not too bothered about U.S. sanctions against her but the Chinese-ruled city will complain to the World Trade Organization (WTO) about a new U.S. requirement on Hong Kong-made products.

The United States this month imposed sanctions on Lam and other current and former Hong Kong and mainland officials whom Washington accuses of curtailing political freedom in the financial hub.

“Despite some inconvenience in my personal affairs, it is nothing I would take to heart,” Lam told a weekly news conference.

“We will continue to do what is right for the country and for Hong Kong.”

The sanctions came in response to China’s imposition of a sweeping national security law on the semi-autonomous city after prolonged anti-China, pro-democracy protests last year.

The legislation punishes anything China considers secession, subversion, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison and has drawn criticism from Western countries that worry the law will end the freedoms promised when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

The sanctions freeze any U.S. assets of the officials targeted and bar Americans from doing business with them.

Lam said that while she could not travel to the United States herself, her government would continue to promote Hong Kong to U.S. businesses.

The U.S. government has also required goods made in the former British colony for export to the United States to be labelled as made in China after Sept. 25.

Lam said Hong Kong and China were separate WTO members and Hong Kong would lodge a complaint against the U.S. decision.

The Hong Kong government initially denounced the U.S. sanctions as “shameless and despicable” and “blatant and barbaric” interference in China’s internal affairs.

Beijing and Lam’s government have defended the national security law as necessary for the city’s stability and prosperity, and they said imposing it was China’s legitimate right.

Asked about the international community’s criticism of last week’s arrest of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, and the search of his Apple Daily newsroom by some 200 police officers, Lam said she could not comment on individual cases, but warned of “double standards” in concerns expressed by other countries.

She said the government’s decision to postpone elections for the city’s legislature for a year amid a resurgence in coronavirus cases was criticised by countries that did not level similar criticism of other governments that postponed votes.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-sanctions-against-her-to-heart-idUSKCN25E0AM
 
China arrests 10 after intercepting boat 'fleeing Hong Kong'

Chinese authorities have arrested at least 10 people after intercepting a boat believed to be heading to Taiwan from Hong Kong, local reports say.

China's coastguard said the arrests were made on Sunday morning off the southern province of Guangdong, near Hong Kong.

Hong Kong media reports said those on board the vessel were trying to reach Taiwan to claim political asylum.

The reports said Hong Kong activist Andy Li was among those detained.

Mr Li, who was arrested earlier this month for alleged collusion with foreign forces and money laundering, was detained on suspicion of "unlawfully crossing the border", the South China Morning Post reported, citing police sources.

It was not immediately clear what those now in custody might be charged with. Attempts by people from Hong Kong to flee the territory by boat are considered to be rare.

Hong Kong has seen a wave of arrests of activists in recent weeks under a controversial national security law imposed by China in June.

The security law, opposed by many in Hong Kong, punishes what Beijing broadly defines as subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison.

The number of arrests has raised fears that China will use its security law to undertake a broad crackdown on Hong Kong's pro-democracy activists and media figures.

Hong Kong was handed back to China from British control in 1997, but under a unique agreement - "one country, two systems" - that gives the territory freedoms not seen on the mainland.

But critics have accused China of eroding those freedoms, leading to protests in Hong Kong and political tensions between Beijing and the international community.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53934159
 
Teacher disqualified for 'promoting Hong Kong independence'

A Hong Kong teacher's licence has been removed after being accused of promoting the territory's independence in the classroom.

Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam said it was important to weed out "bad apples" from the education system.

Officials in Beijing believe schools have been helping to foment opposition to China's communist party.

Hong Kong's largest teachers' union has accused Hong Kong authorities of conducting an unfair investigation.

Rights group Amnesty International said the sacking sent an ominous message to teachers in Hong Kong about the discussion of politics in schools.

But Ms Lam insisted that the teacher's removal was the result of a "thorough" probe.

"This is a very serious case," she added. "We do not allow independence and other unlawful ideas to creep onto campuses."

Activists and observers fear that freedom of expression in public life and academia is on the decline in Hong Kong following the introduction of a controversial new law. In July books by pro-democracy figures were removed from public libraries and a leading university fired law professor Benny Tai over a criminal conviction for his role in the 2014 pro-democracy protests.

This latest development marks the first time that the territory's education bureau has removed a teacher's licence due to classroom content.

Under the controversial national security law, passed in June, it is illegal to advocate for Hong Kong's independence. The teacher's misconduct happened before the law was in force, but the education bureau said it was still in violation of the Basic Law - the territory's mini-constitution.

According to local media, concern was raised after the teacher showed students a TV documentary featuring pro-independence activist Andy Chan Ho-tin. Pupils were then asked to answer four questions from a worksheet about freedom of speech and proposals for Hong Kong's independence.

A father of one child in the teacher's class told RTHK radio that he had read the worksheet and found nothing advocating for independence.

"If our kids in Hong Kong are not equipped with critical-thinking skills, I'm afraid there will be more education problems in the future," he said.

Another father, however, told RTHK that he believes teachers should be disqualified if they can't teach their students using proper materials.

The Alliance Primary School, where the teacher was based, has said in a statement that it would do its best to ensure the campus remains "politically neutral" and provide students with appropriate education.

It comes soon after former city leader CY Leung accused Hong Kong's education minister of "evading responsibilities" while handling complaints against teachers in relation to anti-government protests.

Mr Leung has applied for a judicial review to force the education bureau to release the names of teachers found guilty of misconduct.

Hong Kong's new national security law has been widely criticised since it was imposed by Beijing in June after months of huge pro-democracy protests last year.

The law criminalises secession, subversion, and collusion with foreign forces.

Opponents, including the UN, say it breaches international law and erodes basic freedoms in the former British colony. But Beijing has said the legislation is needed to tackle unrest and instability.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54431729
 
Over 1m people could come to UK from Hong Kong within five years – official estimate

More than 1 million people from Hong Kong could emigrate to the UK in the next five years under a new visa, including 500,000 in the first year, according to official estimates.

The new route would allow holders of British national (overseas) (BNO) status and their immediate families to apply for entry visas from January 2021, for either two periods of 30 months or a single period of five years. After five years they can apply to settle in the UK, and for citizenship after a further 12 months.

An economic impact assessment by the Home Office gives a “high” range estimate of 500,000 people with BNO status and their dependants arriving in the UK in the first year, with more than 1 million over five years. Total immigration to the UK in the year ending March was 715,000. There will be no quota on the numbers of visas granted.

But the Home Office said this would be an “extreme” scenario. A more likely, “central” estimate calculates 123,000 to 153,000 people with BNO status and their dependants arriving in the UK in the first year and between 258,000 and 322,400 over five years.

The central assessment of the economic net impact of the arrivals is a positive boost to the UK economy of between £2.4bn and £2.9bn over five years with the majority of this in the form of additional tax collected by the exchequer.

The British consul general in Hong Kong, Andrew Heyn, said: “The imposition of the national securitylaw on Hong Kong marked a clear erosion of the rights and freedoms for the people of this city.

“This new route to the UK is part of our commitment to the people of Hong Kong. The UK is ready to welcome BNO citizens and their dependants to the UK.”

The visa is being offered in response to the geo-political situation in Hong Kong. The British home secretary, Priti Patel, said China’s introduction of national security laws on Hong Kong breached the Sino-British joint declaration outlining the terms of the 1997 territorial handover, and “could not be ignored”.

Patel said the BNO visa changes were a “proportionate response” to the situation and “very generous”.

Entrants have the right to work or study, but no access to social welfare. They must pass health and criminal checks, be demonstrably able to support themselves financially for at least six months and prove they hold BNO status, but do not need a current or valid passport.

The cost of the visa has been set lower than many other visas routes to the UK. A five-year visa will cost £250 per person. Applicants will also be able to apply for a 30-month visa at £180 per person. The Hong Kong BNO visa will be open for applications from 31 January next year.

The new rules vastly expand the options for BNO holders, who at present can stay in the UK without a visa for only six months.

BNO status was given to Hong Kong residents who applied before 1 July 1997, when the British government formally handed over the former British territory.

The initial announcement angered the Chinese government, fuelling concerns that even those with British citizenship were now at greater risk.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...hong-kong-within-five-years-official-estimate
 
The human rights situation is not as what is shown in media. There is ZERO human rights violation here. HK is a very free city.

All these stunts are a plot by the West to demonise China and HK. The US wishes to install a US puppet in Hong Kong.
 
China warns UK not to offer citizenship to Hong Kong residents

China has told Britain to "immediately correct its mistakes" after the UK reaffirmed its plan to offer a route to British citizenship to almost three million people living there.

The offer was made in July when Beijing imposed a strict national security law on the former British colony.

Critics say it undermines the civil freedoms that China agreed to uphold when Hong Kong was handed back in 1997.

Beijing has previously warned the UK not to meddle in "domestic issues".

Friday's warning came from the Hong Kong arm of China's Foreign Ministry.

The British offer is not for all residents of Hong Kong, but only those holding a British National Overseas (BNO) passport. Only those born before the 1997 handover of the territory to China have the right to hold one.

Around 300,000 people currently hold a BNO passport, while an estimated 2.9 million people are eligible for it, according to the British Consulate General in Hong Kong.

UK government analysts estimate that up to one million people could take up the offer to live in the UK when the new visa becomes available in January.

However, critics say the new visa law won't protect young pro-democracy protesters who were born after 1997 and are primarily targeted by the security law.

The law which targets secession, subversion and terrorism with punishments of up to life in prison, was introduced in July, in response to repeated protests in Hong Kong demanding more democracy and less Chinese influence.

That same month, UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said Hong Kong's British National Overseas (BNO) passport holders and their immediate dependants would have the right to apply for a special UK visa from January.

BNO holders already have the right to visit the UK visa-free for six months.

The new offer however will allow them to remain in the UK for a longer period, and then eventually become full British citizens.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54655285
 
7 Hong Kong pro-democracy politicians arrested

Seven pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong have been arrested over scuffles with pro-Beijing lawmakers in the city's Legislative Council in May.

Police say they have been charged with contempt and interfering with members of the council.

The two opposing camps came to blows, with heckling and shoving on both sides, over the appointment of the chair of a key committee.

None of the pro-Beijing politicians involved have been detained.

It is the latest in a string of arrests of China critics in Hong Kong, after a sweeping new national security law was imposed by Beijing in June.

Who was arrested?

A police statement said that six men and one woman had been arrested as part of an investigation into the 8 May meeting, which descended into chaos amid a row over who should control a key committee in the legislature.

Those arrested include the Democratic Party's Wu Chi-wai, Andrew Wan Siu-kin and Helena Wong Pik-wan, and the Labour Party's Fernando Cheung Chiu-hung and Kwok Wing-kin.

Ex-legislators Eddie Chu Hoi-dick and Raymond Chan Chi-chuen were also detained on Sunday morning.

They face up to a year in prison if convicted.

Why?

They were among a group of pro-democracy legislators who tried to storm the chairperson's seat in the Legislative Council after pro-Beijing councillors forcibly installed one of their politicians as the committee leader following months of deadlock.

Mr Chu was carried out of the room by four security guards holding each of his limbs, after attempting to physically reach the chair.

One pro-Beijing politician was shown live on TV dragging Mr Chan out by his collar.

"Some lawmakers dashed towards the security guards surrounding the rostrum and made it impossible for the meeting to go on," police chief inspector Chan Wing-yu told reporters on Sunday.

"Law enforcement action is taken in accordance with law and evidence gathered during the recent police investigation... I wish to reiterate that enforcement action taken on that basis is not about the social status or political background" of those arrested, he added.

However, opposition politicians questioned why none of the legislators from the opposing side had been charged.

The Democratic Party described the arrests as "arbitrary", adding: "We will not back down in the face of an authoritarian regime."

The 8 May incident was the first in a series of confrontations in the council over who would have the power to legislate controversial bills, including one approved later in June criminalising disrespect of the national anthem.

Separately last week, teen activist Tony Chung became the second person to be charged under the new security law, which makes it easier to punish protesters, and gives Beijing extensive new powers to shape life in the territory.

The law has been widely condemned by western governments and human rights groups, with critics saying it ends freedoms guaranteed for 50 years after British rule ended in Hong Kong in 1997.

The way Hong Kong's electoral system is stacked in favour of pro-Beijing politicians was one of the central issues in last year's protests, the BBC's John Sudworth in Beijing reports.

The sweeping new national security law has come with warnings that it could be used to target future protests inside parliament, with much harsher sentences of 10 years, to life, our correspondent adds.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54768209
 
Hong Kong: People invited to snitch on their neighbours

Police in Hong Kong have launched a hotline where residents can report breaches of the national security law imposed by Beijing earlier this year.

The law criminalises secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces. It has silenced many protesters since it came into force.

Hong Kong residents can send images, audio and video files to the hotline.

Rights groups say they are concerned the service could be used to target those with opposing political views.

Hong Kong's police department said on Facebook that the hotline allows people to report "national security" issues without sharing their personal details.

Residents can submit the information via the messaging app WeChat, email or text.

The hotline does not answer calls or provide a response, police said, adding that authorities would not collect any personal information of those who report breaches of the law.

The hotline's introduction has drawn both praise and criticism on the police department's Facebook page.

One person wrote: "It's really shocking. You'll be able to immediately report a false case."

Another wrote: "Support the co-operation between the police and the people to bring the traitors to justice! Support the Hong Kong police to strictly enforce the law."

The hotline has also been criticised by rights groups.

"Informants may use this hotline against people who they dislike or are in a different political camp," Senior China Researcher at Human Rights Watch, Maya Wang, told AFP news agency.

Beijing has continued to tighten control of the city under the national security bill. Beijing argues the legislation is needed to tackle unrest and instability following months of protests.

But the law has been widely condemned by western governments and human rights groups, with critics saying it ends freedoms guaranteed for 50 years after British rule ended in Hong Kong in 1997.

After it was introduced in June, a number of pro-democracy groups disbanded out of fears for their safety.

Last week, teen activist Tony Chung was charged under the national security law, days after he was detained outside the US consulate. Mr Chung, 19, had reportedly planned to enter the consulate and claim asylum.

Earlier this week, seven pro-democracy politicians in Hong Kong were arrested over scuffles that occurred with pro-Beijing lawmakers in the city's Legislative Council in May.

There are fears the law could be used to target future protests inside parliament, with much harsher sentences.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54822783
 
Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers resign after China ruling

All Hong Kong's pro-democracy lawmakers have resigned after Beijing forced the removal of four of their colleagues.

On Wednesday Beijing passed a resolution allowing the city's government to dismiss politicians deemed a threat to national security.

Shortly afterwards the opposition lawmakers said they would leave the city legislature in solidarity.

For the first time since Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 the body has almost no dissenting voices.

BBC China correspondent Stephen McDonnell says the legislature was already stacked in favour of the pro-Beijing camp.

The dismissal of the four legislators is viewed by many as the latest attempt by China to restrict Hong Kong's freedoms - something Beijing denies.

China introduced a controversial and far-reaching national security law in Hong Kong in late June, which criminalised "secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces".

The law was introduced after years of pro-democracy and anti-Beijing protests. It has already led to several arrests of activists and has largely silenced protesters.

Hong Kong Democratic Party chairman Wu Chi-wai told reporters following the lawmakers' removal: "We can no longer tell the world that we still have 'one country, two systems', this declares its official death."

Hong Kong - formerly a British colony - was returned to China under the "one country, two systems" principle, which allowed it to retain more rights and freedoms than the mainland until 2047.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has called the Chinese resolution "a further assault on Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and freedoms under the UK-China Joint Declaration".

"This campaign to harass, stifle and disqualify democratic opposition tarnishes China's international reputation and undermines Hong Kong's long-term stability."

The territory's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, is pro-Beijing and is supported by the central government there.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54899171
 
Defiant Hong Kong opposition condemned by China

The Chinese government has condemned the mass resignation of most of Hong Kong's opposition from parliament as an "open challenge" to its authority.

Nearly all pro-democracy lawmakers have resigned in protest after four of their colleagues were deemed threats to national security and dismissed.

Many see Hong Kong's limited democracy as now being in its death throes.

The UK government has accused China of breaching its commitments to protect Hong Kong's autonomy.

The former British colony became part of China in 1997 but was promised it could keep some unique freedoms for 50 years.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said of Wednesday's move to remove the four lawmakers: "Beijing's imposition of new rules to disqualify elected legislators in Hong Kong constitutes a clear breach of the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration.

"China has once again broken its promises and undermined Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy."

The US also condemned what had happened, saying it was a move towards "one-party dictatorship", while the EU called for an immediate reversal of the decision.

Hong Kong's government and authorities in Beijing have defended the disqualifications as lawful.

They were based on new rules from China saying elected legislators should be disqualified if they support Hong Kong's independence, refuse to acknowledge China's sovereignty, ask foreign forces to interfere in the city's affairs, or in other ways threaten national security.

The mainland authorities in Beijing have taken increasingly repressive measures in Hong Kong since mass protests rocked the city last year.

Activists have fled and political parties have disbanded following Beijing's passing of a new National Security Law in June, which criminalises vague acts including "subversion". The imposition of the law was also deemed by Britain to have breached the joint declaration, which was signed in 1984.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54900174
 
Hong Kong: UK and allies clash with China over its policies

China has strongly rebuked the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada after being accused of a concerted effort to silence critics in Hong Kong.

The countries, which form the Five Eyes alliance, criticised China's imposition of new rules to disqualify elected legislators in Hong Kong.

They urged Beijing to reverse course.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman warned countries to stay out of China's affairs saying: "They should be careful or their eyes will be plucked out."

"The Chinese never make trouble and are never afraid of anything," Zhao Lijian told journalists in Beijing on Thursday, saying it did not "matter if they had five or 10 eyes".

Last week, Hong Kong expelled four pro-democracy lawmakers from its legislature after Beijing passed a resolution allowing the city's government to dismiss politicians deemed a threat to national security.

In response, all of Hong Kong's pro-democracy lawmakers announced their resignation. For the first time since the UK handed the territory back to China in 1997, the body has almost no dissenting voices.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54995227
 
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