Hong Kong’s new national security bill will move the city “more in line” with President Xi Jinping’s China and is a “clear repudiation” of its Western liberal past, an analyst said.
Lawmakers in the China-ruled city unanimously passed a new national security bill known as Article 23 on Tuesday, March 19th, within two weeks of its initial presentation.
The legislation punishes offences including treason, sabotage, sedition, the theft of state secrets, external interference and espionage with sentences ranging from several years to life imprisonment.
Simon Cartledge, Research Director, and Founder of the Hong Kong-based firm Big Brains, spoke to reporters about the implications of the new security law.