Hong Kong, Large-Scale Protest on July 1... Rising Protest Concerns as COVID-19 Subsides

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Sunmi Park] As the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Hong Kong enters a lull, large-scale protest movements are stirring again.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 21st, the Civil Human Rights Front, which has led large-scale protests in Hong Kong, announced via Twitter that "a large-scale rally will be held on July 1, the anniversary of Hong Kong's sovereignty handover." The Civil Human Rights Front's application to hold the large-scale rally has already been submitted. The protesters cited the mass arrests of pro-democracy figures by the Hong Kong police as the reason for holding the rally, stating, "Hong Kong people will not succumb to the police arrests. We will continue the irreversible revolution of our era."

On the 18th, Hong Kong police arrested 15 pro-democracy figures, including Martin Lee, founder of the opposition Democratic Party; Jimmy Lai, owner of the anti-China media Apple Daily; Lee Cheuk-yan, chairman of the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions; Leung Kwok-hung, former chairman of the League of Social Democrats; and Yeung Sum, former chairman of the Democratic Party. They are accused of organizing and participating in illegal assemblies related to last year's pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

They were released on bail shortly after their arrests but are scheduled to face trial in mid-May. Hong Kong democracy activist Avery Ng explained, "The mass arrests of pro-democracy figures amid the global fight against COVID-19 signal that China still prioritizes political repression in Hong Kong."

With no new confirmed COVID-19 cases reported in Hong Kong the previous day, indicating a lull in the spread, the recent arrests have increased the likelihood that the previously stalled anti-government and pro-democracy protests will reignite.

Signs of clashes between protesters and police, as well as between pro-China factions and pro-democracy groups, have already appeared in Hong Kong. The day before, a homemade bomb was delivered to the office of Chris Tang, Commissioner of the Hong Kong Police. Earlier this month, unidentified white powder was sent to the police headquarters in Wan Chai and media outlets, heightening tensions between protesters and police. Additionally, opposition parties and civic groups declared their intention to continue street protests, citing Article 22 of Hong Kong's de facto constitution, the Basic Law, which stipulates that no Chinese central government department may interfere in Hong Kong's internal affairs.

The United States and the United Kingdom have condemned the Hong Kong police's arrests of democracy activists and are supporting the Hong Kong protesters. Meanwhile, the Chinese government and state media strongly criticize Western countries such as the US and UK for interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of Hong Kong issues, making Hong Kong a new flashpoint in conflicts between China and Western nations.

The economic impact on Hong Kong is expected to worsen. Global credit rating agency Fitch downgraded Hong Kong's credit rating from 'AA' to 'AA-' the day before and maintained a 'stable' outlook. Fitch explained, "Hong Kong suffered a second shock this year due to the spread of COVID-19 following prolonged social unrest last year," and forecasted that after a 1.2% contraction last year, Hong Kong's economy will shrink by about 5% this year.

Previously, in September last year during the height of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, Fitch downgraded Hong Kong's credit rating from AA+ to AA and gave a 'negative' outlook. The Hong Kong government expressed "disappointment" over Fitch's credit rating downgrade.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.