Hong Kong Passes Controversial Pro-China Security Law

Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing lawmakers fast-tracked and passed a new security law on March 19. The law expands the Chinese Communist Party’s power to be able to severely punish treason, espionage and insurrection with up to life imprisonment.

Western leaders, the United Nations and human rights groups have criticized the law strongly, saying it further erodes freedom in a former British colony previously known for its autonomy from Beijing.

Frances Hui, United States-based activist and opponent of the law, called it the “final nail in a closed coffin.”

The new national security legislation is going to double down the repression on freedoms in Hong Kong with extended egregious sentences and a broadened definition of national security.
—Frances Hui

A joint statement by 81 lawmakers and public figures from across the world, including from the United Kingdom, U.S., Canada and South Korea, said: “The legislation undermines due process and fair trial rights and violates Hong Kong’s obligations under international human rights law, jeopardizing Hong Kong’s role as an open international city.”

Autonomous? When the British gave up rule over Hong Kong in 1997, China promised the region that it would retain its identity and unique freedoms for at least 50 years under what it called “one country, two systems.”

This meant Beijing would allow Hong Kong to have its own constitution, continue its own economic policies, and have an independent judiciary. However, China also called for the eventual passing of national security laws known collectively as Article 23. These laws, along with other efforts to chip away at Hong Kong’s autonomy, were met with resistance and mass protests for more than 20 years.

This time, however, it took less than two months to approve the new law, with overwhelming support in Hong Kong’s legislature. This is mainly because China has gutted the legislature, stacking it with individuals loyal to the Chinese Communist Party.

Chinese takeover: Hong Kong is an important territory with access to the South China Sea. Its shift away from Britain toward China is part of a global shift in control of sea lanes (and in the world) away from Britain and America and to powers with fundamentally different values and beliefs. This is a shift we have long predicted based on forecasts in your Bible.

Learn more: Read “Hong Kong—the End of Freedom Begins.”