The town’s chief government, John Lee, launched a invoice on Tuesday that may introduce new classes of safety crimes to enrich the present nationwide safety regulation that Beijing imposed in 2020.
Based on Mr. Lee, the brand new regulation is critical to stop a repeat of the mass pro-democracy protests that befell in 2019, which become violent clashes.
The EU is worried that Hong Kong’s present nationwide safety regulation is getting used to crack down on opposition and stifle dissent, an EU spokesman instructed AFP.
“The EU is worried that some [siūlomo įstatymo] definitions and provisions will equal or exceed the scope and draconian measures of the Nationwide Safety Regulation and can additional weaken Hong Kong’s remaining freedoms,” the spokesman added late Tuesday.
The UK’s International, Commonwealth and Growth Workplace mentioned on Wednesday it will carefully monitor the state of affairs, including that freedoms in Hong Kong had been severely curtailed underneath the guise of nationwide safety.
“It will be significant that the brand new laws meets worldwide requirements and ensures the rights promised to Hong Kong residents,” the workplace mentioned in an announcement.
For the reason that British handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997, the town has operated underneath a “one nation, two methods” regime, with authorized and judicial constructions separate from the mainland.
The Primary Regulation, generally known as the town’s mini-constitution, requires laws on 5 security-related crimes, together with treason, espionage and out of doors interference, in line with Hong Kong officers.
On Wednesday, Beijing expressed its full help for Hong Kong’s new safety regulation, saying it ensures long-term peace and stability within the semi-autonomous metropolis.
The brand new regulation will “assist defend the welfare of all Hong Kong residents, defend the pursuits of traders from all over the world, and guarantee high quality growth,” mentioned Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China’s overseas ministry.
However Eric Lai, a researcher at Georgetown College’s Asian Regulation Heart, instructed AFP that overseas traders could also be cautious and that the free circulate of knowledge might undergo.
He added that the proposal “makes an attempt to align the offenses of state secrets and techniques and espionage with the corresponding offenses outlined in mainland Chinese language regulation”.
Johannes Hack, president of the German Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, mentioned he hoped officers would outline extra exactly what constitutes a state secret, because the time period “might cowl numerous areas”.
Mr Hack instructed AFP he didn’t assume the brand new regulation would have an effect on German corporations working within the metropolis, however mentioned there was a threat the laws could be seen overseas as one other Hong Kong safety regulation.
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2024-05-31 18:06:04