China to Directly Amend Hong Kong National Security Law... "Death Sentence for One Country, Two Systems"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] China is directly moving to enact the Hong Kong National Security Law. Although Hong Kong has legislative autonomy under China's "One Country, Two Systems" principle, China’s direct involvement in Hong Kong’s lawmaking is being regarded as the effective "death of One Country, Two Systems."

The enactment of the National Security Law for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the fifth agenda item at the National People's Congress (NPC), which opened in Beijing on the morning of the 22nd and will last for a week. Zhang Yesui, spokesperson for the NPC, announced at a press conference held the previous night that among the nine proposals of this NPC session, one includes the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law. Zhang explained the background of the legislative discussion, saying, "Hong Kong is an inseparable part of China, and NPC representatives intend to enact laws to safeguard Hong Kong’s national security in accordance with the obligations granted by the constitution," adding, "Protecting national security is protecting the fundamental interests of all people, including Hong Kong compatriots."

NPC representatives are expected to discuss the enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law during this session and pass a resolution on the closing day, the 28th. The submitted draft will then be handed over to the NPC Standing Committee for detailed legislative work. The Standing Committee, which met from the 26th to the 29th of last month, usually convenes every two months, so the detailed legislative process could begin as early as next month. A source explained, "The NPC will delegate the draft of the Hong Kong National Security Law to the Standing Committee. If there are no major disagreements and consensus is reached during the detailed legislative process, the law will be passed quickly, and the new law will take effect immediately upon promulgation without the approval of the Hong Kong Legislative Council."

There is also an assessment that the Hong Kong National Security Law will be completed within six months after passing through the two sessions. Li Xiaobing, an expert on Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions at Nankai University in Tianjin, told the Chinese state media Global Times in an interview, "Unless there are special circumstances, the Standing Committee will convene an extraordinary meeting to pass the law within six months or even sooner."

Once the law is passed, Hong Kong will have a national security law for the first time in 23 years since Britain returned sovereignty over Hong Kong to China in 1997. The Hong Kong government also attempted to enact a separate national security law in 2003 based on Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law, which states that "any act of treason, secession, sedition, or subversion against the Central People’s Government may be punished by imprisonment for up to 30 years." However, when 500,000 Hong Kong citizens took to the streets shouting "Oppose the National Security Law," the bill was withdrawn.

The Hong Kong opposition and pro-democracy camp are protesting, saying that the Chinese government’s legislative move through intimidation is tantamount to a death sentence for the autonomy granted under One Country, Two Systems. Wu Chi-wai, leader of the Hong Kong Democratic Party, stated, "The direct imposition of the National Security Law is a death sentence for One Country, Two Systems," and added, "It has become clear that 'one country, two systems' is no longer a consideration for China."

The pro-democracy camp in Hong Kong has announced strong resistance against the pro-Beijing faction’s moves. Accordingly, it is expected that protesters opposing China’s enactment of the Hong Kong National Security Law will flood the '6.4 Tiananmen Protest' commemorative rally to be held at Victoria Park in Hong Kong on the 4th of next month. Since the Hong Kong government has banned large-scale gatherings citing the prevention of the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), clashes between police and protesters are also anticipated if the rally proceeds.

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