CHINA OFFICIALS THREATEN TO TIGHTEN HK SECURITY LAWS

Senior Chinese officials laid out plans to expand Hong Kong’s security powers, despite international criticism of the reach of measures already taken to curb dissent in the Asian financial center, and would want to interpret the law to cover other activities not specified in the same law, Kari Soo Lindberg reported for Bloomberg News.

At a forum Monday to mark the first anniversary of the security law China imposed, officials signaled further efforts to strengthen Hong Kong’s laws.

One top Chinese legislative official pointed out that China still had several types of security offenses not covered by the Hong Kong measure banning secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, the Associated Press (AP) and CNN also reported.

Zhang Yong, deputy head of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the National People’s Congress (NPC), said that the May 2020 resolution authorizing the security law supported further action.

The NPC empowered its Standing Committee to draft more legislation as needed and specifically directed Hong Kong to fulfill its obligation to pass local security laws, Zhang said.

“The scope of the legislation is to prevent, stop and punish any behavior that endangers national security, including, but not limited to, the four types of crimes listed in the Hong Kong national security law,” he said. “There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.”

China’s own security law covered 11 types of crimes, Zhang said, referring to legislation that also covers spying, treason, defection, and leaking state secrets. The forum was the latest sign that Chinese President Xi Jinping is far from finished overhauling policies in Hong Kong, one year after handing down a security law that has remade politics and the courts in the former British colony.

The legislation, which carries sentences as long as life in prison, has led to the closure of Hong Kong’s biggest pro-democracy newspaper and the arrest of at least 117 activists, journalists, and former lawmakers.

The campaign has drawn criticism from activists, journalists, business associations, and foreign governments, with a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers urging President Joe Biden to take action to address China’s “ceaseless assault” on Hong Kong’s democracy.

Xi has been undeterred, vowing at a speech before thousands of party faithful in Tiananmen Square last week to exercise “overall jurisdiction” to protect national security in the city.

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