Pro-beijing backers talk up surveillance

China will be able to establish an intelligence agency in Hong Kong similar to the colonial-era Special Branch when its rubber-stamp parliament signs off on sweeping new powers this week, according to the city’s former leader.

Speaking Saturday, Leung Chunying and pro-beijing city politicians raised the prospect of new investigative powers for Beijing in comments likely to further enrage campaigners fearing the end of the financial hub’s treasured autonomy.

It came as Hong Kong was on edge on Saturday night, with an eerie calm settling over the city ahead of the first mass demonstrations planned since lockdown buried a year of turmoil and pro-democracy protests.

The city’s hidden network of protesters and activists told The Sunday Telegraph they were gearing up for a banned march, raising fears of a return to violent scenes and running street battles with the authorities that rocked the city for much of last year.

One protester said: ‘‘We must keep it up and not break stride. They want to crush us in body and spirit. We need to focus. Obviously we can see why the Chinese Communist Party hates Hong Kong’s freedom so much. [China] should have just left Hong Kong alone.’’

The Chinese Communist Party is set to ‘‘vote’’ on the new national security legislation at its annual National People’s Congress this week. The result is a foregone conclusion, and Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, has already pledged to enact the controversial changes in the city.

The legislation would criminalise behaviour deemed as subversion, terrorism, separatism and foreign interference, ‘‘or any acts that severely endanger national security’’.

There is concern among some Hong Kong residents and Western governments that the legislation will herald a new era of political surveillance and law enforcement controlled from the mainland. Washington called the law a ‘‘death knell’’ for the city’s autonomy.

The proposal includes an article that would allow mainland national security agencies to set up offices in Hong Kong – which has its own police force and judicial system.

Maria Tam, a pro-beijing politician who advises China’s parliament on her city’s constitution, said that investigations ‘‘could be joint efforts’’ between mainland and Hong Kong authorities once the law is passed. – Telegraph Group