A HUGE THREAT TO AUTONOMOUS HK

Hong Kong is once again back on the streets, protesting against the proposed assault on its fundamental freedoms in an open bid to scupper the ‘one-country, two-systems’ promise. Last year, after street protests for weeks eventually forced the puppet Hong Kong administration to withdraw the proposed extradition law, which would have allowed alleged lawbreakers in Hong Kong to be transferred to China for trial, it was assumed that the authorities in Beijing had learnt the right lesson. Which is that the people in Hong Kong are determined to resist any attempt to take away their civic rights. Hong Kong under the Sino-British Joint Declaration is assured of full autonomy for fifty years even though the British ceded control in 1997. In other words, the assault on freedoms of Hong Kongers constitutes an open breach of an international agreement and, consequently, obliges the wider international community to stop China from its perfidious conduct. But even as the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, the Chinese leadership, now meeting in Beijing in its annual session of the National Peoples’ Congress, has introduced a draft legislation which purportedly seeks to ‘safeguard national security’ of Hong Kong by locating mainland security forces in the territory. These forces would act against ‘secessionist or subversive activity, the organising of terrorist acts and activities of foreign and external interference’. These terms are so vague and wide that any activity which proves inconvenient for Beijing can attract the strictest possible action which China routinely administers against its dissidents. In other words, China will clamp down on freedom of speech, any display of dissent and the right to organise peaceful protest. Civil activists and voluntary groups will be viewed with suspicion. The Chinese security forces located in Hong Kong would kill rule of law and freedom in Hong Kong. Persecution of the leaders of the protest movements which have kept the banner of freedoms and civil liberties afloat despite repeated attempts by a Beijing-nominated Hong Kong Governor will face severe retribution once the Hong Kong legislature slavishly adopts the new security law as dictated by the czars of the CCP. On Sunday, anticipating the evil intent behind the proposed law, thousands of protesters once again took to the streets, defying the police and vowing to defend Hong Kong’s autonomy. Expectedly, the pro-democracy protesters were met by tear gas and water cannons, but seemed undeterred. Having forced the authorities to withdraw the controversial extradition bill last year, they are unlikely to sit quiet when a much worse measure seeks to kill their democratic freedoms. Accepting the proposed law would mean sudden disappearances of anyone suspected to be a dissident. Long prison terms in horrible conditions, and generally persecution of any Hong Konger suspected to be harbouring democratic aspirations would become routine in Hong Kong as well. The proposed law would turn Hong Kong, an autonomous territory with a much higher per capita income than that in the mainland and a global financial hub, into a Beijing colony with all its attendant privations and persecutions.

Meanwhile, the democratic world, distracted presently by the China-origin coronavirus, cannot forsake Hong Kong and its freedom-loving people. The solemn undertaking that China gave to keep the territory autonomous under the ‘one-country, two-systems’ agreement must be upheld. A concerted attempt by the democratic world can force even the power-drunk China to see sense. Besides, the US can terminate the special trading privileges given to Hong Kong if the territory ceases to be autonomous. Tariff-free imports from Hong Kong as against those from the mainland can virtually pulverise the Hong Kong economy. Should the US take the lead, Hong Kong will soon cease to be the most important financial hub in Asia. A number of US companies are listed in Hong Kong as are a huge number of Chinese companies. Most Chinese companies while going public launch their public issues in Hong Kong. The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has hinted at clamping sanctions against China should it not abandon the draconian move to snuff out Hong Kong’s democratic freedoms. Given that the international image of China has never been lower than at the time of the Tiananmen Square massacre of peaceful students in 1989, President Xi Jinping has risked becoming the global pariah should he push ahead with the draconian security law aimed at killing democratic rights of people in Hong Kong. Wisdom demands that he abandons the proposed assault on Hong Kong.