Tightening Communist grip on Hong Kong squeezing life from once glittering Cosmo polis
Hong Kong, once called the “Pearl of East,” has fascinated people from around the world. Yet now its streets are stalked by a sense of stagnation, a loss of vitality.
It has been three years since the Hong Kong national security law, aimed at clamping down on ant governmental speech and actions, came into force. Moves to strengthen “Chinese-style” control of the territory have continued.
The Apple Daily, known for its staunch criticism of the government, has ceased publication, and many pro-democracy groups have been driven to disband.
This past spring, a woman from Hong Kong studying in Japan was arrested on a visit home on suspicion of posting things online that violated the national security law. These included posts supporting independence for Hong Kong from mainland China. It is apparently the first case of the national security law being applied to actions outside the territory.
Since the national security law went into effect, 259 people have been arrested, with 160 of them indicted. A senior Hong Kong government official stressed that there was no way members of the general public would get caught in the legal net. Regardless, the Hong Kong police force’s tip line has received some 400,000 reports so far. Residents scared of being named by one of these anonymous snitches have no choice but to self-censor and restrict their own actions.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, who became the first former police officer to helm the Hong Kong government, has focused on bringing about the principle of “patriots governing Hong Kong,” advocated by Chinese President Xi Jinping, over the year since he took office.
The Hong Kong government has filed a request with a court to ban the broadcast or streaming of “Glory to Hong Kong,” which became the unofficial anthem of the mass pro-democracy protests in 2019. The government is also moving to strengthen “patriotic education” at schools.
The electoral system for Hong Kong’s district councils — equivalent to local assemblies — will also be changed, with the number of seats decided by direct election expected to be slashed from over 90% to 20% or less. In the 2019 election, pro-democracy candidates clinched more than 80% of seats, but in the upcoming November poll, pro-Beijing figures are believed certain to secure a majority.
Amid this stifling control, the flow of Hong Kong residents moving abroad shows no sign of abating. Lee revealed last autumn that 140,000 people in the workforce had emigrated over the past two years. Foreign businesses in the Hong Kong market are worried about staffing shortages.
July 1 marks 26 years since Hong Kong’s reversion from British control to China. Yet it has become evident that the “one country, two systems” principle guaranteeing a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong is now just facade, tarnishing the shine of the beloved cosmopolis. Beijing and the Hong Kong government must face up to this reality.
