HONG KONG: Despite mounting international concern that it might curtail liberties in the city, which is administered by China but retains some autonomy due to its past as a British colony, a new national security law went into effect in Hong Kong on Saturday, March 23.
Days after being unanimously approved by pro-Beijing lawmakers in Hong Kong, the law quickly became operative at midnight upon its publication on a government website. The measure’s purpose was to close what officials referred to as “national security loopholes.”
On Friday night, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee signed the new national security law, which he stated “accomplished a historic mission, living up to the trust placed in us by the Central (Chinese) Authorities.”
Following a meeting in Adelaide on Friday, Australia and Britain issued a joint statement expressing their “deep concerns about the continuing systemic erosion of autonomy, freedoms, and rights” and criticizing China for its actions in Hong Kong.
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