Proving its word worthless, Beijing is moving to crush Hong Kong’s liberties 27 years ahead of schedule, in blatant violation of the deal that saw Britain hand rule of the city over to the mainland.
Specifically, China has ordered the national legislature to pass a new law for Hong Kong, bypassing the island’s Legislative Council. Put simply, it will criminalize protest and dissent, treating it as subversion, treason or foreign interference — and allowing mainland officials to “legally” crack down on whatever the hell they want.
This also leaves Hong Kong’s huge democracy movement helpless to block the legislation, as it did last year’s extradition bill that would’ve sent the accused to the mainland for “justice.”
The Chinese Communist Party is claiming the law is about “safeguarding national security,” and so not fit for the LegCo but for the mainland National People’s Congress, whose annual meeting starts Friday.
Over the last year, the CCP and its puppets have quashed Hong Kong’s anti-regime booksellers, arrested many top democracy advocates (such as barrister Martin Lee and media tycoon Jimmy Lai) and made it a crime to insult the national anthem. Now the finale.
Once the new law passes, it’s goodbye freedom of the press, and freedom generally. Beijing’s “one country, two systems” promise — the system that was to last to 2047 — is out the door.
As Bonnie Leung of the Civil Human Rights Front, which organized some of Hong Kong’s biggest protests, told The Post: “Especially after the outbreak of pandemic, I’m sure the world has realized what is wrong with the Communist regime and what harm it can do. Hong Kong can provide some sort of balance. That is why Beijing wants to silence us, and that is why the world should do their best to save us, before it is all too late. And I’m afraid ‘too late’ will be soon.”
Beijing plainly sees the coronavirus crisis (which it did so much to cause) as a fine time to break its word and crush Hong Kong’s democracy. Let there be no more debate about whether China’s rulers can be trusted — about anything.
