On Friday (Mar 8), Hong Kong unveiled a new national security bill, proposing life imprisonment for offenses such as insurrection and treason, marking a further tightening of China’s grip on the global financial hub.
The bill has sparked concerns about diminishing freedoms in the city, following the success of a similar law four years ago in quelling dissent.
The proposed legislation seeks to bolster the government’s authority in quashing any challenges to Chinese rule that may arise in the future.
Additionally, the bill aims to address issues of external interference, espionage, and the protection of state secrets.
The new law will impose harsher penalties on individuals collaborating with foreign entities to engage in illegal activities like sabotage and sedition.
Hong Kong leader John Lee has urged swift legislative action, prompting lawmakers to begin debating the bill on Friday (Mar 8), with the goal of expediting its passage.
Given the legislature’s composition largely comprising Beijing loyalists, the bill is expected to sail through easily in the coming weeks.
Should the bill pass, individuals inciting foreign powers to invade China would face life imprisonment, marking the maximum penalty for treason.
Furthermore, the bill proposes that violent actions posing a threat to public safety in the city be classified as insurrection.
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