China’s Expanding Toolbox to Quell Hong Kong Dissent
Dozens of opposition figures including former student leader Joshua Wong have been jailed since China imposed the national security law.
Photographer: Paul Yeung/BloombergAfter a year of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, China cracked down. It imposed a national security law and other measures to tighten its grip on the former British colony. Dozens of opposition figures -- including media tycoon Jimmy Lai and former student leader Joshua Wong -- have been jailed. Beijing’s actions prompted an outcry from Western powers and cast significant doubt on whether Hong Kong can still have the “high degree of autonomy” and independent judiciary promised before the British handed the city back to Chinese control in 1997. President Xi Jinping has made his aim clear: Only “patriots” should govern Hong Kong.
The national security law is aimed at punishing acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and “collusion with foreign and external forces.” It asserts broad new powers to control sources of opposition, from democracy advocates to news agencies to overseas dissidents. The legislation was passed in 2020 by China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, and endorsed by Xi, without public debate or a vote by the city’s elected legislature. It allows for sentences as long as life in prison and extends to actions committed by anyone, Hong Kong residents or not. Separately: