Last year, Hong Kong was shaken by months of huge and often violent pro-democracy protests. (File)
Hong Kong:
China will have jurisdiction over “some extremely rare cases” of national security in Hong Kong, a senior official said on Monday as Beijing prepares to unveil its new anti-subversion law for the semi-autonomous mall.
The revelation comes just three days before an important meeting of the country’s highest legislative body. Beijing said the new law – which will bypass the city’s legislature – must be passed quickly after a year of pro-democracy protests.
Deng Zhonghua, deputy head of the Hong Kong and Macao Chinese Affairs Bureau, said national security and law enforcement will be largely the responsibility of local authorities and the Hong Kong police.
“However, central authorities should also reserve jurisdiction in certain extremely rare cases where an offense takes place in Hong Kong and poses a serious threat to the national security of China,” said Deng.
As part of a “one country, two systems” agreement before the transfer by Britain, China has said it will let Hong Kong retain certain freedoms and autonomy until 2047, including legislative independence and judicial.
But Deng’s comments are the first time that a Beijing official has made it clear that the mainland authorities will have jurisdiction over certain national security cases once the law is passed.
Last year, Hong Kong was shaken by months of huge and often violent pro-democracy protests.
In response, Beijing announced plans to impose the new law covering subversion, secession, terrorism and foreign influence.
Beijing said the law would restore stability and leave political freedoms intact, and that the Hong Kong legislature had not passed its own national security laws over the years.
Fears of political oppression
But opponents – including many Western countries – fear it will bring continental-style political oppression, given the way anti-subversion laws are commonly used to crush dissent in authoritarian China.
They also fear that this would erode the legislative and judicial autonomy of Hong Kong, the foundation of the city’s success as an international business hub.
The Beijing Parliament has already declared that the law would allow the continent’s security agencies to operate publicly in Hong Kong for the first time.
Deng gave additional details on Monday.
“The central government and the government of Hong Kong must set up an organization dedicated to safeguarding national security,” he said in a speech to the semi-official think tank of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong. and Macau Studies.
Central authorities, he added, would help “supervise and educate” local authorities on respect for national security.
“The central authorities must have practical means to deal with national security matters in Hong Kong and must be able to create an effective deterrent, rather than just chanting slogans and gesturing,” said Deng.
Deng said he recognized that there were differences in the legal systems of Hong Kong and mainland China.
But he said the new law would reflect common principles, including that the law would not be retroactive, as well as the presumption of innocence.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
