China plans to implement a sweeping national security law for Hong Kong that could dramatically constrain Hong Kong’s autonomy and provoke fierce backlash from pro-democracy activists.
Why it matters: Beijing’s encroachment on Hong Kong’s independent legal system prompted massive protests last year that have resumed on a smaller scale as social-distancing measures lift.
- The current proposal appears to be far-reaching, banning sedition, treason and secession, which Beijing tends to define very broadly, per the BBC.
- The proposal would amend the Basic Law, which has governed relations with the mainland since Hong Kong was handed back to China from the U.K. in 1997. Continue reading.