Beijing has expanded its national security crackdown on Hong Kong, shifting from the principle of “patriots administering” the territory to requiring businesspeople to be “patriotic,” with national security terms proliferating within the catering and entertainment industries, a Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) report said yesterday, ahead of the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover today.
In its 2014 white paper on the “one country, two systems” policy following the 1997 handover, Beijing claimed that “Hong Kong would be governed by Hong Kong people with a high degree of autonomy,” the report said.
However, that has since been reformulated to a system in which Hong Kong would be governed by both “Hong Kongers and the Chinese central government,” with a comprehensive system of surveillance gradually being implemented over the past 28 years, it said.
Photo: Bloomberg
Beijing has imposed the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong” to limit political participation by Hong Kongers, while also implementing patriotism education infused with “Xi Jinping Thought,” the report said.
Last month, China’s Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, in collaboration with the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force, conducted an unprecedented “joint investigation” into a national security case, it said.
The move has raised concerns over the possibility of Hong Kongers accused of “endangering national security” being extradited to China, with political dissent continuing to be suppressed, exemplified by the dissolution of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party this year, more than three decades after its founding, it added.
Senior officials in Beijing have also urged Hong Kongers to engage in “united front” work and extend national security requirements to areas traditionally unrelated to security, such as trade restrictions, financial risks and overseas interests, the report said.
National security terms have become more pervasive, covering a wide range of activities, including assemblies and demonstrations, the formation of labor unions, venue rentals, film censorship, tender documents and the qualifications for social workers, teachers and public servants in the territory, it said.
Beijing’s regulatory reach this year has further expanded to include the catering and entertainment industries, as well as other recreational venues, while press freedoms and artistic expression continue to face increasing repression, it added.
Schools across all levels in Hong Kong are now required to scrutinize the backgrounds of external collaborative organizations and personnel to determine if they “oppose China or disrupt Hong Kong,” the report said.
Since the imposition of Hong Kong’s National Security Law five years ago, a total of 332 people have been arrested on charges of national security, with severe penalties given to people involved in the “Hong Kong 47” case, it said.
The Hong Kong 47 refers to democracy advocates, politicians and community organizers who were arrested in 2021 under the National Security Law.
Hong Kong media tycoon and Next Digital founder Jimmy Lai’s (黎智英) detention for more than four years was the first case of a journalist being convicted of incitement due to news reporting since the handover, the report said.
Lai is also the first person wanted on national security charges to have his assets confiscated in Hong Kong, it said.
Although several international economic rating agencies have upgraded Hong Kong’s credit rating to “stable,” the territory’s economic growth faces significant risks and challenges, driven by Beijing’s tightening control, the US-China confrontation and other geopolitical factors, the report said.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
DISPUTE: A Chinese official prompted a formal protest from Tokyo by saying that ‘the dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off,’ after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks Four armed China Coast Guard vessels yesterday morning sailed through disputed waters controlled by Japan, amid a diplomatic spat following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan. The four ships sailed around the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) to Taiwan, and which Taiwan and China also claim — on Saturday before entering Japanese waters yesterday and left, the Japan Coast Guard said. The China Coast Guard said in a statement that it carried out a “rights enforcement patrol” through the waters and that it was a lawful operation. As of the end of last month,
RSS