HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s parliament approved a decision on Thursday to go forward with national security legislation for Hong Kong that democracy activists in the city and Western countries fear might deteriorate its freedoms and jeopardise its role as an international monetary center.
China states the legislation will aim to take on secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign disturbance in the city but the plan, revealed in Beijing last week, activated the first big protests in Hong Kong for months.
Riot cops were out in force in Hong Kong as its lawmakers debated another piece of legislation, an expense to criminalise disrespect of China’s nationwide anthem, while the United States overdid pressure focused on preserving the city’s autonomy.
Dozens of protesters gathered in a shopping center to chant slogans however there was no repeat of disruptions the previous day when cops made 360 arrests as thousands took to the streets in anger over the anthem expense and the national security legislation proposed by China.
In 2015, the city was rocked for months by typically violent pro-democracy demonstrations over a not successful quote to present a law governing extradition to China.
The Chinese government’s security law for the city is fuelling worry in Hong Kong and beyond that Beijing is enforcing its authority and eroding the high degree of autonomy the former British colony has enjoyed under a “one nation, 2 systems” formula given that it went back to Chinese rule in1997
Members of China’s mainly rubberstamp parliament, the National People’s Congress, in the Excellent H