When the British handed Hong Kong back over to China in 1997, China agreed to the adoption of Hong Kong’s “mini-constitution” that stipulated a “one country, two-systems” framework. This ensured that Hong Kong would retain its capitalistic economic system, independent judicial system, democratic legislative system, and civil liberties afforded to citizens under British rule.
Recently, China has accelerated its plan to destroy the freedoms that Hongkongers have long enjoyed, taking advantage of Western leaders’ preoccupation with elections and the pandemic. As China increasingly becomes a global economic superpower, the United States should be concerned with China’s “bait and switch” approach to negotiations. In contrast with the American ideal of good faith dealings, Beijing will do anything to consolidate control in the region, even at the cost of mass human suffering.
What is happening in China and Hong Kong is an Orwellian nightmare come to life. On June 30, 2020, China passed a new security law for Hong Kong, which has been dubbed “the end of Hong Kong.” Under British rule, Hong Kong grew from a sparsely populated area of farming and fishing villages to one of the most important financial centers and commercial ports in the world. Today, it is home to the second-highest number of billionaires and the largest concentration of high-net-worth individuals of any city in the world, a testament to the rewards of Western capitalism.
With the passing of the new wide-ranging security law, Beijing asserts its ability to censure and prosecute nearly any citizen of Hong Kong with little cause. It criminalizes acts of secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign entities, but it defines these offenses so broadly as to make previously commonplace acts of freedom of speech punishable by harsh sentences, including life in prison.
Even though the law passed last June, Beijing seems determined to apply it retroactively to quash any opposition to its authoritarian rule. Like a child testing the waters, China initially tiptoed its way into Hong Kong to make arrests. In the first few months following the enactment of the new law, only 35 such arrests were made. But arrests have since ramped up.
In August, billionaire Jimmy Lai, the founder of Hong Kong’s most outspoken anti-government newspaper, the Apple Daily, was arrested and charged with collusion with a foreign entity. The head of the University of Hong Kong’s journalism department called the arrest and the subsequent raid of Apple Daily’s offices an “outrageous, shameful attack on press freedom.” In anticipation of his arrest, Lai wrote in an op-ed in the New York Times, “I have feared that one day the Chinese Communist Party would grow tired not only of Hong Kong’s free press but also of its free people. That day has come.”
On Dec. 11, Lai was charged with colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security. The primary evidence for those charges were quotes from his Twitter account — proof that Beijing is using the new law to curb free speech.
“The official Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times called my tweets ‘evidence of subversion,'” Lai wrote. “I have always thought I might one day be sent to jail for my publications or for my calls for democracy in Hong Kong. But for a few tweets, and because they are said to threaten the national security of mighty China?”
If found guilty, Lai could face life imprisonment.
On Jan. 6, Beijing dealt a lethal blow to the pro-democracy movement, arresting 53 Hong Kong residents, including one American. The detained were guilty of participating in last year’s primary election and selecting pro-democracy candidates for this year’s Legislative Council elections. The primary, in which 600,000 Hong Kongers voted, was labeled “subversive” because pro-democracy candidates garnered too much support. The mass arrests have achieved Beijing’s goal of intimidating and crushing the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. The 15 remaining pro-democracy legislators resigned “in protest,” but also no doubt out of fear.
It can’t be a coincidence that the mass arrests took place just days after the European Union signed the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment with China. The agreement loosens restrictions on European businesses operating in China. By giving the EU favorable terms, Beijing’s intention can only be to bribe European leaders to turn a blind eye to human rights violations in Xinjiang and its underhanded abolishment of freedoms in Hong Kong.
Given China’s duplicitous approach to Hong Kong, it is only a matter of time before it takes aim at Taiwan. Hong Kong has learned the hard way that no deal with China can be relied upon. Policymakers be warned: The only stance to take toward China is a tough one.
President Trump has responded to Chinese aggression by revoking Hong Kong’s special status, but this just ends up hurting Hong Kong residents. There are other ways to be firm with China. Revoke and refuse student visas for the children of the Communist Party officials. Offer asylum to pro-democracy Hong Kong activists. Show strong support for Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The Biden administration would be wise to consolidate its bargaining power with Europe. It should prevail upon the EU not to ratify its new investment agreement in light of recent events. The U.S., Europe, and other democratic countries account for over half of the world’s GDP. Acting in unison, they can curb China’s human rights violations and protect the precious civil liberties of a democratic people. Indeed, by supporting Hong Kong, we act to preserve our own precious way of life.
Patricia Pan Connor is a freelance writer, investor, and lifestyle blogger residing in California.
