The National People’s Congress (NPC), in late May, passed controversial new legislation on national security for Hong Kong, and on 4 June, the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, Hong Kong’s own legislature made it a crime to insult the National Anthem.
As the 4 June law was passed, students held a silent vigil at the Pillar Of Shame sculpture commemorating the massacre.
Loose definitions
The NPC resolution was approved by 2,878 votes to one, with six abstentions. Details of the law will be drawn up in the coming weeks by the NPC’s Standing Committee. It is expected to be added to Annex III of the Basic Law and applied to Hong Kong through promulgation before September.
Many are aware that there would be an establishment of Chinese security agencies in Hong Kong in order to uphold national security within the Special Administrative Region. The latest document says that the law will cover not just ‘acts’ that threaten the state, but also ‘activities’ that endanger national security. This concerns many, as it is too loosely defined and could be used even to target bystanders during a demonstration. China’s track record of using ‘national security’ to persecute dissidents leaves critics worried for Hong Kong’s future.
The Chairman of the Hong Kong Baptist Convention (HKBC), the Revd Hing Choi Lo, said in a statement to all of its member churches: ‘Today the problem facing us is “How can the church stands its ground in this land?” Like what has been mentioned by scholars, when the church thinks it is “acting justly and loving mercy”, but the authorities consider the church to be overthrowing [the regime], what choices do we have? Do we dance with the authorities’ baton?’
