Hong Kong Former Governor: "One Country, Two Systems Overturned After Xi Jinping's Rule"... National Security Law Escalates into International Issue

Possibility of G7 Expansion Including China vs. USA
Global Concerns Over Bloodshed in Hong Kong Protests

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Young-shin] As the Chinese government's plan to enact the Hong Kong National Security Law (Security Law) became known, Hong Kong citizens once again poured into the streets. Over 200 political leaders from 23 countries worldwide, including Chris Patten, the last British Governor of Hong Kong and Chancellor of Oxford University, have supported these protests, turning the issue into an international matter.

According to local media such as Hong Kong Ming Pao and the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 25th, thousands of Hong Kong citizens took to the streets the previous day to fiercely oppose the Chinese government's push to enact the Hong Kong National Security Law.

Hong Kong media reported that over 180 Hong Kong citizens were arrested during the protests that day. The protesters shouted slogans such as "Fight for freedom," "Only Hong Kong independence is the way to survive," and "Heaven will destroy the Chinese Communist Party," SCMP reported.

Ming Pao reported that approximately 3,000 people participated in the protest according to police estimates, and the street march began around 1 p.m. About ten minutes after the march started, the police launched tear gas and water cannons to suppress the protest forcefully. The Hong Kong protesters also sought help from the United States and other Western countries.

International public opinion is unfavorable to the Chinese government. Chancellor Patten suggested in an article for a media outlet that "the enactment of the Security Law is tantamount to an attack on Hong Kong's freedom" and proposed that "this issue should be addressed at the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit next month." He pointed out that "after Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997, the 'one country, two systems' principle remained intact until 2013, but it was overturned after Xi Jinping's leadership took power."

In an interview with The Times, he also urged the British government to actively intervene, stating that "the UK has a moral, economic, and legal obligation to protect Hong Kong citizens." The Chinese government remains firm in its plan to pass the Security Law through a vote on the 28th. This is why the Hong Kong protests triggered by this Security Law have a high possibility of escalating into a bloody conflict.

The first critical moment will be on the 4th of next month, expected to be a memorial gathering for the 'June 4 Tiananmen protests.' Additionally, the 9th of the same month marks the first anniversary of the anti-'Fugitive Offenders Ordinance (Extradition Law)' protests, which saw participation from one million Hong Kong citizens. The United States, which is confronting China over responsibility for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), has warned of sanctions if the Security Law is passed, so the possibility of a repeat of Hong Kong's unfortunate history cannot be ruled out.

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