An archival photo of pro-democracy protesters waving flags during a demonstration in Hong Kong
Beijing:
The supreme decision-making body of the Chinese parliament will examine national security legislation for Hong Kong during a session in Beijing that started on Thursday, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
The bill clarifies the definition of four crimes: separatist activity, state subversion, terrorist activity and collusion with foreign forces, Xinhua reported.
It also provides for sanctions for these crimes, he added.
The law is expected to bring the most profound change to the way of life of the former British colony since its return to Chinese rule in 1997. It should allow security personnel on the mainland to be based in Hong Kong for the first time.
Critics fear that it will crush vast freedoms in Hong Kong denied to the people of mainland China who are considered the key to its success as a global financial center.
Authorities in Beijing and Hong Kong have dismissed fears that the law will infringe on his freedoms and said it would target only a minority of “troublemakers” who threaten national security.
Despite these assurances, the legislation has sparked some of the strongest exchanges between officials in Beijing and Washington, with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling it a “death knell” for Hong Kong’s freedoms.
Pompeo met with senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi in Hawaii on Wednesday amid a deep deterioration in ties between strategic rivals, their first face-to-face meeting since last year.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Yang told Pompeo that the United States must respect Chinese positions and end interference in matters such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Xinjiang region and work to repair bilateral relations.
Pompeo stressed “the need for fully reciprocal relations between the two nations in commercial, security and diplomatic interactions,” US Department of State spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
Hong Kong’s security laws are the biggest step Beijing has ever taken in a concerted campaign to assert its authority over the city and its 7.5 million people after months of often violent anti-government protests.
The legislation was not included in a previous agenda for the session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Assembly.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
