Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Hong Kong ‘retaining its degree of autonomy’ in handling national security cases

Hong Kong ‘retaining its degree of autonomy’ in handling national security cases

City has not seen central government invoking its right to become involved in special instances, law professor tells forum.

Beijing’s restraint over intervening in the prosecution of national security cases in Hong Kong is proof the city’s high degree of autonomy has not been undermined by the new law, a legal heavyweight has told a forum.

Another expert said at the same event that the crossfire between China and Britain over granting citizenship to the city’s residents who held BN(O) passports in the wake of the legislation was “carefully calibrated at both ends”.

The Beijing-mandated law contains a provision allowing mainland China to exercise jurisdiction over cases in Hong Kong that involve “complicated situations” relating to foreign interference, serious threat to national security or when the local government cannot effectively enforce the law.


Only regular intervention by Beijing in national security cases would mean Hong Kong’s degree of autonomy was being undermined, says Albert Chen.


Nearly four months since its enactment, 26 Hong Kong residents, including media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and activist Agnes Chow Ting, have been arrested – all by local police.

The absence of Beijing’s involvement in cases showed that accusations the city’s degree of independence was eroding were baseless, said University of Hong Kong law Professor Albert Chen Hung-yee.

“Only if [the provision] is frequently used every month and every week, then of course it could be considered an infringement of Hong Kong’s autonomy,” he told a virtual seminar hosted by the university on Saturday.

The law, banning acts of secession, subversion of state power, terrorism and foreign interference, triggered a backlash by the international community, with Western nations such as the United States, Britain and Canada suspending their extradition treaties with Hong Kong.


Britain, which handed Hong Kong back to China in 1997, also opened a new path to citizenship for residents with British National (Overseas) passports.

Under a new visa class, holders will be eligible to remain in Britain for an initial period of 30 months, extendable by a further 30 months, or a single period of five years, with applications being accepted from January 31. Holders can apply to settle in Britain once they have lived there for five years.

The Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday Beijing might refuse to recognise BN(O) passports. Spokesman Zhao Lijian accused Britain of “violating its promises” and “playing up” the issue.

Professor John Anthony Carty, who taught law at HKU before moving to the Beijing Institute of Technology, said the war of words between the two countries reflected an absence of mutual trust and respect.

“The solution is not some kind of acrimonious arbitration,” he said. “It’s an appeal for self-reflection and self-criticism in this very intense conflict.”

Lim Chin-leng, a law professor at Chinese University, believed each country’s countermeasures were “carefully calibrated at both ends”.

“I don‘t see any escalation,” Lim said. “I see a situation which is being managed quite carefully,”

Meanwhile, activists from more than 30 countries launched a campaign at the weekend to renew a demand for the release of 12 Hong Kong fugitives captured by the Chinese coastguard while fleeing to Taiwan in late August.

As part of the pressure tactics, a letter was sent to US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo requesting sanctions against Chinese officials in Shenzhen, where the dozen are being held.


The letter described the Communist Party as “barbaric” and said the relevant mainland officials should be held accountable for the “cruel detention” of the dozen. Among the signatories were Simon Cheng Man-kit, a former employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong who was detained by Chinese authorities last year, and Honcques Laus, an exiled dissident who was a member of Studentlocalism, which disbanded hours before the security law was introduced.

The dozen are wanted in Hong Kong for crimes stemming from anti-government protests, while one, Andy Li, was arrested for alleged collusion with foreign forces and money laundering. Mainland authorities have charged 10 with illegally crossing the border, and two with organising the crossing.

In Hong Kong, a group called Student Politicism set up a booth in Tsuen Wan to garner support for the dozen. Police officers ticketed 13 individuals, aged from 15 to 62, for violating a social-distancing rule limiting public gatherings to a maximum of four people during the coronavirus pandemic.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×