The Chinese government’s suppression of civil liberties in Hong Kong hit new heights in March with the unanimous passage of sweeping national security legislation by the city’s rubber-stamp legislature.
The move is just the latest indication of how willing China is to jeopardize its own economic interests to crack down on Hong Kong.
The so-called Safeguarding National Security Ordinance is the latest in a series of actions by Beijing and Hong Kong authorities aimed at stifling dissent in the city following mass protests in 2019. It builds upon the National Security Law, which Beijing forced upon the city in 2020 by increasing penalties for alleged crimes against the state and creating entirely new categories of punishable offenses, including mandating up to 10-year jail sentences for criticizing the government.
This new legislation makes a mockery of the rule of…
