However, a huge pro-democracy movement has built in the face of fears China has been steadily eroding those freedoms.
The Communist Party made clear Friday the planned law was aimed at quashing the democracy movement.
“We must take powerful measures to lawfully prevent, stop and punish them,” vice chairman of the National People’s Congress’s (NPC) Standing Committee Wang Chen said, referring to “anti-China” forces.
Article 23 of Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, says the city must enact a law to prohibit “treason, secession, sedition (and) subversion” against the Chinese government.
But the clause has never been implemented due to opposition from the Hong Kong people fearful it would destroy their cherished civil rights.
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An attempt to have Article 23 pass through Hong Kong’s legislature in 2003 was shelved after half a million people took to the streets in protest against it.
China’s move would circumvent Hong Kong’s legislature by having it imposed by the national parliament.
Wang said Hong Kong’s delays in implementing the security law had forced the Chinese leadership to take action.
“More than 20 years after Hong Kong’s return, however, relevant laws are yet to materialise due to the sabotage and obstruction by those trying to sow trouble in Hong Kong and China at large, as well as external hostile forces,” Wang said.
Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam vowed Friday to “fully cooperate” with Beijing, saying the government would “complete the legislation as soon as possible”.
– US warnings –
The United States reacted swiftly to China’s announcement, with State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus warning that imposing such a law would be “highly destabilising, and would be met with strong condemnation from the United States and the international community”.
President Donald Trump gave a vague initial response that nevertheless warned of a stronger reaction.
“I don’t know what it is, because nobody knows yet. If it happens, we’ll address that issue very strongly,” Trump said.
The US Congress late last year angered China by passing a law that would strip Hong Kong’s preferential trading status if it is no longer considered autonomous from the mainland.
The State Department warned China’s actions could impact its decision on that status.
US senators on Thursday also introduced legislation to impose sanctions on any entity involved in curbing Hong Kong’s autonomy.
That could include police cracking down on demonstrators and Chinese officials involved in Hong Kong policy — as well as banks that conduct transactions with anyone involved in curbing the territory’s freedoms.
AFP
