Rapidly increasing global media speculation suggests that Beijing's oppressive national security law is not only negatively affecting Hong Kong residents, it is straining Hong Kong's relationships with countries around the world.
Enacted last year, the national security law has taken a toll on the civil liberties of Hong Kong residents, NPR News reports. Examples include the shutting down of Apple Daily newspaper, universities silenced, notable activists either in thrown in prison or placed in exile, and protesters who participated in Hong Kong's demonstrations against Beijing's rule facing sentences of up to life in prison.
Recent data found by the Georgetown Center for Asian Law in Washington shows the National Security Department has made 130 or more arrests since the law was enacted in 2020. Not everyone has been formally charged, but merely being arrested can deter further protesting.
"This is putting the Chinese playbook on the Hong Kong situation," Lydia Wong, one of the researchers who compiled the data, told NPR News. "You have very high cash bail and you also will need to hand out [your] travel document. You need to stay away from social media. You cannot give public speeches."
In March, China's parliament approved a law giving a pro-Beijing committee in Hong Kong increased control over Hong Kong’s elections, PBS News reported. This has made it virtually impossible for pro-democracy candidates and political dissidents to run for office.
“You cannot say you love the country but you don’t respect [the Chinese Communist Party],” Erick Tsang, Hong Kong’s secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs, told The Washington Post, according to PBS News. “It does not make sense.”
By asserting total control over Hong Kong, one of the world's top financial hubs and one of the most densely populated places on the planet, the Chinese Communist Party is trying to demonstrate that its model of authoritarianism can preserve the wealth of its citizens who agree to follow the party, Axios reported. The effects of the national security law and other government actions currently affect the politics, industry, art and other facets of life in Hong Kong.
The repression has affected relationships between Hong Kong and the rest of the world. Countries that have suspended their extradition treaties with Hong Kong due to concerns that the city's authorities would abuse those agreements to pursue political targets include the U.S., Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France and the Netherlands.
Britain promised to provide a path to citizenship for millions of eligible Hong Kong residents, but China shot back by saying it would stop recognizing the special U.K. passport that millions of Hong Kong residents currently hold.
The U.S. revoked preferential trade privileges for the island of Hong Kong and now prohibits the export of sensitive technologies to Hong Kong markets.