Latest news with #nationalSecurityLaw
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
5 years after national security law, has Hong Kong bounced back?
In the second of a two-part series on the national security law, we look at how the city has had to battle a negative narrative over the past five years. Read part 1 here Soon after Hong Kong reopened in early 2023 as harsh pandemic restrictions were finally lifted, veteran lawmaker Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee embarked on a solo mission to the West. Visiting Brussels to meet European Union officials in September 2023, she sought to explain fundamental political and legal changes in the city and how it would not be deterred by its critics. Beijing had reshaped the political landscape, first by imposing a sweeping national security law in 2020, then by introducing major electoral reforms to ensure that only 'patriots' ruled the city. By then too, a dark shadow had settled over the city, blanketing more nuanced and varied views about Hong Kong into one coagulated negative narrative that it had become a police state. With the national security law, no one was safe. Diplomats, bankers and business people were told to carry burner phones when entering Hong Kong. The city's future was over, its past a romanticised era where democracy reigned, or so this gloomy tale went. It did not help that Hong Kong residents had also left the city in droves, drawn by easier pathways to emigration laid out by Western nations and partly because of the pandemic restrictions.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Outgoing US envoy says little chance to meet Hong Kong officials during term
America's outgoing top diplomat in Hong Kong has said he had little opportunity to meet local officials during his tenure, while also noting that the implementation of the national security law five years ago remains a source of friction. Speaking at an American Independence Day event on Thursday, United States Consul General Gregory May also confirmed an earlier report from the Post that he would soon depart Hong Kong to take on a senior role in the country's embassy in Beijing. May, who was first posted to Hong Kong in 2022, said he was leaving with an 'absolute super-positive' impression of the city, while acknowledging that political differences had continued to hamper ties. 'I think Hong Kong is a great city,' he said. 'What is not great is the policies of the mainland Chinese government [and] the Hong Kong government that have eroded freedom.' His tenure has been marked by the erosion of ties between the US and Hong Kong following the enactment of the city's 2020 national security law and the wider geopolitical struggle between Washington and Beijing.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Departing US top official in Hong Kong criticises reach of national security law
HONG KONG, June 26 (Reuters) - The top American diplomat in Hong Kong on Thursday criticised Hong Kong's use of the national security law to jail prominent campaigners for democracy, including media tycoon Jimmy Lai, and engage in the "transnational repression" of activists abroad. Gregory May, the departing consul general of the United States in Hong Kong, who is coming to the end of a three-year stint in the city, spoke about recent turbulence in the U.S-China relationship and highlighted various "friction points" including Lai's case. Lai, 77, has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces under the national security law, as well as a separate charge of conspiracy to publish seditious material. He has been held in solitary confinement for more than 1,500 days since December 2020. "President Trump himself has mentioned Jimmy Lai several times now and he's very concerned about the fate of Mr. Lai," May told reporters after a speech at a U.S. Independence Day reception. "But I just want to emphasise the U.S. government concern is not just on this one individual. There are many other people, unfortunately, in Hong Kong who are in jail for peaceful expression of political views." Lai, whose family say his health is fragile, faces a possible life sentence under a China-imposed national security law that was implemented in 2020 in response to mass pro-democracy proteststhe year before. U.S. President Donald Trump has previously said he would "one hundred percent" get Lai, who also has British citizenship, out of the country. May, who will be leaving to take up a position as deputy head of the U.S. mission in Beijing, also criticised attempts by Hong Kong authorities to pressure overseas Hong Kong activists including the issuing of arrest warrants for national security violations and offering bounties of HK$1 million ($127,393) each. "The other friction point in my time here has been transnational repression, and it's very disappointing to see over my three years here, attempts by Hong Kong authorities to enforce the national security law within the borders of the United States against U.S. persons," May said. These are "attempts to restrict the free speech of people in the United States and unfortunately we're seeing Hong Kong authorities go after the family members of these overseas activists and that's a very disturbing development," he added. On the broader China-U.S. relationship, May said Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping both wanted to get the bilateral relationship on "a positive track", a goal he would work towards in Beijing under the new U.S. ambassador to China David Perdue. ($1 = 7.8497 Hong Kong dollars)
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Contrary to naysayers, Hong Kong's national security law is working well
With the enactment of Hong Kong's national security law on June 30, 2020, acts of collusion with foreign countries to endanger national security, secession, subversion and terrorist activity were criminalised. As discussed at a recent forum to mark the law's fifth anniversary , the 'one country, two systems' policy has operated smoothly since. The national security law has been applied throughout with great restraint by the authorities, with prosecutions only resulting when absolutely necessary. Between July 1, 2020 and May 1, 2025, 185 people and five companies were prosecuted for offences in connection with endangering national security, including under the national security law, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance passed last year and the now-repealed sedition offence under the Crimes Ordinance. About 170 people and one company have finished court proceedings, with most defendants convicted. These figures give the lie to foreign claims that thousands have been indicted. Moreover, the conviction rate of over 95 per cent in national security trials shows great care is being taken in investigating these cases and prosecuting them. As elsewhere in the common law world, the courts can only convict defendants if satisfied of their guilt beyond reasonable doubt; the conviction rate illustrates the strength of the cases they have tried. As the national security law contains new procedures, there were concerns over how these could be integrated into the legal system. However, the courts have sensibly interpreted the national security law in ways that are equitable and realistic.
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong must build on progress made as it enters latest chapter
The fifth anniversary of Hong Kong's national security law was marked yesterday with a high-level forum that reflected on the past but looked to the future. Xia Baolong, Beijing's top official overseeing the city's affairs, recognised the progress Hong Kong has made since 2020, noting it had entered a new stage of development. But he warned this is a critical period for the city, which needs to adapt, seize opportunities and rise to new challenges. Xia's five-day visit has included meetings with officials, politicians, business leaders, universities and foreign chambers of commerce. It is an important trip. When the national security law was passed by China's legislature, Hong Kong was a different place, facing unprecedented difficulties. Months-long anti-government protests in 2019 rocked the city. This was followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which also battered the economy and restricted international engagement. Xia described the legislation as a good law that targeted a small minority, had restored order and provided the foundation for the city's recovery and renewal. Hong Kong has bounced back, attracting business, investment, tourists and talent, staging international conferences and a wide variety of 'mega-events'.
