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China's Maneuvering Spells Turbulence for Hong Kong, Analysts Say

Verna Yu

   HONG KONG - Analysts are predicting that China's recent high-profile
   posturing over Hong Kong signals a bumpy political future for the
   semiautonomous city and the likely return of mass protests.

   They were reacting to last week's arrest of 15 prominent democracy
   activists on charges of illegal assembly, [1]accused of taking part in
   unapproved protests last year;the declaration by China's liaison office
   here that it is not bound by a clause in Hong Kong's constitution,
   [2]the Basic Law, barring Beijing from interfering in local affairs;
   and the liaison office head's call for Hong Kong to [3]enact national
   security legislation, shelved since 2003.

   Analysts say China's heightened concern about national security
   threats, sparked by the coronavirus outbreak and its tense relations
   with the U.S., has prompted it to push Hong Kong, rocked by months of
   anti-government protests, to speed enactment of the controversial
   national security bill after mass protests.

   Moreover, they say, Beijing sees the West's concentration on battling
   the pandemic as offering a perfect opportunity to act tough on Hong
   Kong.

   "This is a new affront on one country, two systems," said Kenneth Chan,
   a political scientist at the Hong Kong Baptist University, referring to
   the principle for Chinese control of Hong Kong promised under the 1984
   Sino-British Joint Declaration.

   "The pandemic has provided Beijing a window of opportunity to introduce
   tough measures over Hong Kong," he said.

References

   1. https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/hong-kong-police-arrest-15-veteran-pro-democracy-figures
   2. https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/china-top-office-hong-kong-declares-itself-not-bound-basic-law
   3. https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/china-prods-hong-kong-enact-national-security-law

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