China’s top legislative body yesterday released new details of national security legislation to be imposed on Hong Kong, shedding light on a measure that pro-democracy groups warn could undermine the territory’s appeal as a financial center.
The draft bill calls for Hong Kong to establish a new committee headed by its chief executive to protect national security, which would be supervised and accountable to Beijing.
China would also establish a new bureau in Hong Kong to analyze the security situation, collect intelligence and “lawfully handle national security cases,” according to draft language released by the official Xinhua news agency.
Photo: AP
The law says the central government would have jurisdiction over an “extremely small” number of national security cases under “specific circumstances,” Xinhua said.
The police and judiciary would need to establish new departments to handle cases under the law, it said.
According to the security law, the Hong Kong chief executive would appoint judges to handle criminal cases endangering national security.
The draft also asks the Hong Kong government to increase efforts to safeguard national security and prevent “terrorism.”
Hong Kong must “adopt special measures strengthening oversight and management” of schools and social organizations, it says.
The national security commission would also set up a position of special adviser, who would be designated by the central government, and provide consultation to the special commission.
Hong Kong should “respect and protect human rights,” while ensuring national security, and anyone accused has the right to defend themselves, the bill says.
The Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee has the power to interpret the law, which would override any local laws that are inconsistent with its provisions.
Details of the measures to punish acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces in the former British colony had been secret since the NPC approved their drafting on May 28.
The NPC Standing Committee began deliberations on the legislation on Thursday, after a last-minute announcement that it had been added to the agenda.
The law would shape the future of Hong Kong, raising questions about the autonomy of a territory whose global status is a underpinned by its legal distinction from the mainland.
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government decided to bypass the elected Hong Kong Legislative Council and impose the security law after a wave of historically large and sometimes violent protests gripped the territory last year.
The law has fueled resurgent pro-democracy protests and led the US to threaten to revoke Hong Kong’s special trade status, which has helped maintain its role as a vital financial crossroads between China and the West.
The European Parliament on Friday voted in favor of taking China to the International Court of Justice in The Hague if Beijing imposes the security law on Hong Kong.
Hong Kong Lawmaker Fernando Cheung (張超雄) said the details made clear that the Chinese Communist Party “has the power to pick whoever they want” and bring them to the mainland to face criminal charges.
“No doubt, this law has immediately turned Hong Kong into a mainland city,” he said. “I don’t see how the international community would feel secure under this law and I’m sure that there will be an exodus of young professionals in the near future.”
STILL COMMITTED: The US opposes any forced change to the ‘status quo’ in the Strait, but also does not seek conflict, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said US President Donald Trump’s administration released US$5.3 billion in previously frozen foreign aid, including US$870 million in security exemptions for programs in Taiwan, a list of exemptions reviewed by Reuters showed. Trump ordered a 90-day pause on foreign aid shortly after taking office on Jan. 20, halting funding for everything from programs that fight starvation and deadly diseases to providing shelters for millions of displaced people across the globe. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has said that all foreign assistance must align with Trump’s “America First” priorities, issued waivers late last month on military aid to Israel and Egypt, the
France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and accompanying warships were in the Philippines yesterday after holding combat drills with Philippine forces in the disputed South China Sea in a show of firepower that would likely antagonize China. The Charles de Gaulle on Friday docked at Subic Bay, a former US naval base northwest of Manila, for a break after more than two months of deployment in the Indo-Pacific region. The French carrier engaged with security allies for contingency readiness and to promote regional security, including with Philippine forces, navy ships and fighter jets. They held anti-submarine warfare drills and aerial combat training on Friday in
COMBAT READINESS: The military is reviewing weaponry, personnel resources, and mobilization and recovery forces to adjust defense strategies, the defense minister said The military has released a photograph of Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) appearing to sit beside a US general during the annual Han Kuang military exercises on Friday last week in a historic first. In the photo, Koo, who was presiding over the drills with high-level officers, appears to be sitting next to US Marine Corps Major General Jay Bargeron, the director of strategic planning and policy of the US Indo-Pacific Command, although only Bargeron’s name tag is visible in the seat as “J5 Maj General.” It is the first time the military has released a photo of an active
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
RSS