China is Coming for Hong Kong’s Freedom

To be sure, Hong Kong cannot be compared to totalitarian North Korea. Though Hong Kongers are denied universal suffrage, there is still some freedom of expression and a generally fair legal system. Since Britain handed over control to China in 1997, Hong Kong has functioned under the principle of “one country, two systems” with a high degree of autonomy. It was for years the only place in China where people could demonstrate, speak out in the press, or criticize the government without fear of arrest. All that is now in jeopardy.

Over the past five years Hong Kong has faced a series of threats to basic freedoms, from the abduction of booksellers to the disqualification of pro-democracy legislators and candidates. We have seen the expulsion of journalist Victor Mallet, British human-rights activist Benedict Rogers and Japanese politician Kenichiro Wada. Peaceful pro-democracy protesters have increasingly been jailed, including the youngest elected legislator, Nathan Law, and student leader Joshua Wong.

Most alarming is the way the law is being turned against dissidents. A new law will make it a crime to insult China’s national anthem, even though Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam admits that it’s “very difficult” to define the offense. A national-security law, with an “antisubversion” clause, will make civil society and democratic opposition extremely hazardous.

Most dangerous is the proposed change to extradition laws that would allow Hong Kong to send suspected criminals to mainland China. Activists cite the 2015 abduction of five booksellers as an example of the type of government kidnapping that could be legalized under such an extradition law. If it passes, Hong Kong residents could be transferred to the mainland and subjected to a judicial system that has no independence and functions at the whim of the Communist Party. Domestic and foreign businesspeople also have reason to be concerned. Yet despite warnings from Hong Kong’s Law Society, the American Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. and other governments, Ms. Lam insists it must be implemented.

A recent report by Hong Kong Watch rightly argued that “what is in need of protection in Hong Kong today is not the national anthem, but rather such basic rights as freedom of opinion, expression, protest and association.” Last weekend thousands of Hong Kongers protested the new proposals. Chris Patten, Hong Kong’s last colonial governor in the 1990s, observed that “societies which believe in the rule of law do not reach agreements like this with those who do not.” He describes the proposed new extradition arrangement as “an assault on Hong Kong’s values, stability and security,” adding that the law would make it more difficult for the rest of the world to believe that “Beijing can be trusted to keep its word.” He’s right.

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