What is the New security law that China has brought and what are Chinese intentions behind it?
A draft legislation on national security tabled before China’s Parliament will for the first time allow Beijing to draft national security laws for Hong Kong and also operate its national security organs in the Special Administrative Region (SAR).
The draft law, expected to be passed next week by the National People’s Congress in Beijing, has been criticised by democratic parties in Hong Kong as undermining the “one country, two systems” model that gives the SAR a high degree of autonomy.
Since the return to China in 1997, Hong Kong has been governed by the Basic Law, which allows the territory “to enjoy executive, legislative and independent judicial power, including that of final adjudication”, barring matters of defence and foreign affairs.
The new legislation will require Hong Kong’s Legislative Council (LegCo) to pass legislation as soon as possible, although it does not specify a time-frame.
The new legislation is said to be aimed at “preserving national security” and called on Hong Kong “to employ necessary measures to counter, lawfully prevent, stop and punish foreign and overseas forces’ use of Hong Kong to carry out separatist, subversive, infiltrative, or destructive activities.
The law will also for the first time allow China’s national security organs to formally operate in Hong Kong.
The Basic Law makes it quite clear that only LegCo can make and repeal laws.
Beijing is afraid that the Hong Kong legislature may be controlled by democrats after elections in September, so it could affect China in it’s own political ways as there is no democracy in China.
