China’s move to halt dissent sparks fury
HONG KONG — Prodemocracy lawmakers denounced China’s move to take over longstalled efforts to enact national security legislation in the semiautonomous territory, saying it goes against the “one country, two systems” framework under which Beijing promised the city freedoms not found on the mainland.
The proposed bill, submitted Friday on the opening day of China’s national legislative session, would forbid secessionist and subversive activity, as well as foreign interference and terrorism. It comes after months of prodemocracy demonstrations last year that at times descended into violence between police and protesters.
The bill, among the most controversial items on the agenda of the National People’s Congress in years, drew strong rebukes from the U.S. government and rights groups. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the move, saying “the decision to bypass Hong Kong’s wellestablished legislative processes and ignore the will of the people of Hong Kong would be a death knell for the high degree of autonomy Beijing promised.”
“Xi Jinping has torn away the whole pretense of ‘one country, two systems,’” former prodemocracy lawmaker Lee
Cheukyan said of China’s leader.
He said at a news briefing by opposition parties and activists that the move shows Beijing is “directly taking control.”
“They’re trying to ban every organization in Hong Kong who dares to speak out against the Communist Party,” he said.
Beijing appears to have lost patience and is determined to assert greater control in Hong Kong and limit opposition activity following last year’s protests.
Wang Chen, vice chairman of the National People’s Congress, said the protests and violence in Hong Kong had challenged the “one country, two systems” principle and the aim of the legislation was to stop any behavior that posed potential security threats.
Beijing has decided to circumvent the territory’s lawmaking body using what critics say are dubious legal grounds under the Basic Law, which has served as a sort of constitution for Hong Kong since its return to China from British colonial rule in 1997.