The Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee is to vote on Hong Kong’s security legislation tomorrow morning, the day before the territory’s handover anniversary, Now TV News reported yesterday, signaling Beijing might soon hand down a measure that pro-democracy advocates and business groups say could erode the territory’s unique freedoms.
At a three-day meeting that started yesterday, the Standing Committee discussed the legislation to punish acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) reported earlier, citing Ip Kwok-him (葉國謙), a member of Hong Kong’s Executive Council and one of its non-voting delegates on the committee.
The proposed legislation includes a life sentence for acts of secession and subversion, according to the Now TV report, which cited unidentified people.
Photo: AP
The penalty would be far more severe than what Tam Yiu-chung (譚耀宗), the territory’s only voting delegate in the committee, has suggested.
Prison sentences for the four types of crimes would range from three to 10 years and would be largely in line with Hong Kong’s criminal laws, RTHK said last week, citing Tam.
Albert Ho (何俊仁), former chairman of the territory’s Democratic Party, said the proposed sentence did not surprise him.
Photo: Reuters
“It is a shame that the so-called Hong Kong delegates just let the legislation go through like this,” Ho said. “It is also a shame for China — how can it face the world?”
If the proposed law passes during this Standing Committee session, it could come into effect in time for Wednesday’s anniversary of the territory’s return to Chinese rule in 1997.
Under the legislation, the central government would retain its authority in the territory in three specific circumstances, Now TV said, without providing details.
About 56 percent of residents oppose the legislation, compared with 34 percent who support it, a Reuters/Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute poll released on Friday showed.
In related news, hundreds of Hong Kongers yesterday marched silently through the streets in protest against the proposed national security legislation.
Riot police armed with shields were present as the crowd moved from Jordan to Mong Kok in the Kowloon district, as part of a “silent protest” in which they marched with the usual chanting or slogan shouting largely absent.
Scuffles broke out in Mong Kok, prompting police to use pepper spray to subdue parts of the crowd, an eyewitness told Reuters.
“I am here to oppose the national security laws,” said Esther, 25, who was on the streets. “It’s not the last battle, there is a long-term resistance [to the laws].”
Additional reporting by Reuters
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
RSS