China’s imposition of a new security law demands a united response.
One mainland Chinese official described the new national security law imposed on Hong Kong last week as a “birthday present” for the former British colony,23 years to the day after its handover to China. This bitterly resented gift breaks China’s promise to allow Hong Kong to maintain its distinctive freedoms for 50 years after the handover. It’s also an act of self-harm.
The law itself, drafted in a month without any public debate, is harsher than many critics expected. It imposes maximum life sentences for vaguely defined acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and “collusion with foreign and external forces to endanger national security.” It applies not just to Hong Kong residents and companies, but to non-residents anywhere. (Critics advocating for sanctions against China in the West could theoretically be arrested if they step foot in the city.) Mainland security agencies will be allowed to operate in Hong Kong and could extradite suspects across the border. Jury trials could be waived in some cases.
Chinese leaders aren’t likely to reverse course explicitly, but they should think hard about the consequences of persisting in this vein.
