Beijing appears to be using Hong Kong’s National Security Law to target “foreign forces,” and is continuing to change the territory’s governance and institutions to reflect those of mainland China, the Mainland Affairs Council’s (MAC) latest quarterly report said.
China is continuing to undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy and is beginning to target foreign organizations that operate in the territory, using the law Beijing imposed on Hong Kong nearly two years ago, the report said.
Citing an example, the report said that British nonprofit Hong Kong Watch was on March 4 approached by officials from Hong Kong’s National Security Department to remove content from its Web site that the department said contravened the national security legislation.
Photo: Bloomberg
It was the first report of a foreign organization targeted with the law, the report said.
Suppression of individual rights and freedoms accelerated in January with the first convictions in Hong Kong for publications contravening the law, it said.
In March, former Hong Kong Bar Association chairman Paul Harris left the territory after security officials warned him that he was allegedly in contravention of the law, the report said.
Although Hong Kong participates in international organizations separate from China, it supports the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) political goals, such as blocking Taiwan’s “meaningful participation in the WTO,” it said.
By demonstrating its need to act on behalf of the CCP, Hong Kong is showing that its ability to meaningfully participate independently in international organizations is weakening, it added.
The report also cited Hong Kong government data as showing that the number of mainland Chinese and foreign companies registered in the territory is increasing, despite overseas companies leaving — indicating that Chinese investment in Hong Kong is growing.
Last year, 9,049 foreign and Chinese companies were registered in Hong Kong, compared with 9,025 companies the previous year.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS