Hong Kong’s new national security law yesterday came into force, despite growing international criticism that it could erode freedoms in the China-ruled territory and damage its international financial hub credentials, as Taiwan and other countries updated their travel advisories for Hong Kong.
The law, also known as Article 23, took effect at midnight, days after the territory’s pro-Beijing lawmakers passed it unanimously, fast-tracking legislation to plug what authorities called national security loopholes.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee (李家超) said the law “accomplished a historic mission, living up to the trust placed in us by the Central [Chinese] Authorities.”
Photo: AP
The US expressed concerns that the law would further erode the territory’s autonomy and damage its reputation as an international business hub.
“It includes vaguely defined provisions regarding ‘sedition,’ ‘state secrets’ and interactions with foreign entities that could be used to curb dissent,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
Australia and the UK on Friday criticized the law after a bilateral meeting in Adelaide, expressing “deep concerns about the continuing systemic erosion of autonomy, freedoms and rights” in Hong Kong.
The UN and the EU recently noted the extremely swift passage of the law with limited public consultation, by a legislature overhauled in the past few years to remove opposition democrats.
Taiwan, Australia and the UK updated their travel advisories for Hong Kong, urging citizens to exercise caution.
“You could break the laws without intending to and be detained without charge and denied access to a lawyer,” the Australian government said.
Hong Kong authorities “strongly condemned such political maneuvers with skewed, fact-twisting, scaremongering and panic-spreading remarks.”
In a joint statement led by the overseas-based Hong Kong Democracy Council, 145 community and advocacy groups condemned the law and called for sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials involved its passage, as well as a review of the status of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices worldwide.
“It’s time for the United States to step up for political prisoners and freedom in Hong Kong. Every time we let authoritarians get away with atrocities, we risk other bad actors attempting to do the same,” wanted Hong Kong activist Frances Hui (許穎婷) told a news conference in Washington with the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), which advises the US Congress.
Chris Smith, a cochairman of the CECC, said the Hong Kong trade offices had “simply become outposts of the Chinese Communist Party, used to engage in transnational repression.”
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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