National security law will bring Chinese system to Hong Kong: Report
Jun 19, 2020
Hong Kong, June 19 : The Hong Kong national security legislation will effectively bring the mainland's legal system to the city and will give power to the Chinese government to apply pending law without the approval of Hong Kong's legislature, Asia Times reported.
Beijing is yet to confirm the legislation's relevant clauses, officials have indicated that those in breach of the law, which will punish secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference in the city's affairs, could be extradited to the mainland for trial, Asia Times reported citing critics.
"This national security legislation shows that the Communist Party has lost its patience and confidence in 'one country, two systems', as well as the Hong Kong people and our administration," Civic Party opposition lawmaker Tanya Chan told the newspaper.
"This is a warning and a reminder to Hong Kong people about who is the boss," Chan said.
The passage of Hong Kong security legislation by China has sparked domestic protests and was received with international criticism despite both Beijing and Hong Kong's leadership maintaining that they have the full right to implement the legislation.
On Thursday, Foreign Ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) member countries issued a joint statement strongly urging China to reconsider its decision to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong."The proposed national security law would risk seriously undermining the 'one country, two systems' principle and the territory's high degree of autonomy.
It would jeopardise the system which has allowed Hong Kong to flourish and made it a success over many years," the Foreign Ministers of G7 said in the statement.
"Many see the precedent set by the central government using exemptions in Hong Kong's Basic Law, the territory's de facto constitution, to impose the new legislation as an inflexion point that could spell the end of the 'one country, two systems' framework enshrined in the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration that guarantees the city's high degree of autonomy," the Asia Times reported.
