China-Policies & politics

1. One law, two systems: how China’s national security law for Hong Kong stacks up

   China’s decision to write up and enact a national security law for Hong Kong was welcomed by city leaders, rejected by protesters, and met with incredulity by some legal authorities, with one remarking that it seemed to apply to “everyone on the planet”. But how does it compare to similar laws elsewhere?National security laws seek to strike a balance between public freedoms and protecting a country, while also shifting in focus as perceived threats change, legal scholars say.Such a shift was…

2. China sets up task force to boost political policing amid threats to stability

   The Communist Party has set up a special task force to boost political policing and secure its unchallenged rule in China, according to state media.The new working group is part of a high-level law enforcement body established in April whose priority is to “strike hard on activities that could undermine China’s political security” and handle disputes and unrest stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, the official Procuratorial Daily reported on Monday.At its first meeting held “recently”, the…

3. China’s copyright law amendment criticised as an ‘abusive use of power’ that weakens IP protection

   A controversial proposed amendment to China’s copyright law that claims to offer copyright owners increased protection has been criticised as an “abusive use of power” and “rule-of-law with Chinese characteristics”.The new clause of “abusive use of copyright” would hand regulators significant power to review how a business or individual enforces their own copyright and could potentially weaken copyright holders’ positions, legal experts have said.The provision within Article 4 of China’s…

4. Chinese army releases footage of Hong Kong garrison’s drills

   The People’s Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong has released footage of soldiers undertaking grenade and shooting drills following the passage of a new national security law for the city.The garrison’s official WeChat account posted a video that showed a range of exercises on Sunday, including target practice, throwing live grenades and a map-reading exercise.The drill was described as “checking [soldiers’] abilities in emergency dispatch, mobilisation, communication and use of weapons”.The…

5. Outspoken Chinese law professor Xu Zhangrun taken away by police, friends say

   Xu Zhangrun, a prominent law professor who has criticised the country’s leadership, was taken from his Beijing home early on Monday morning, according to friends and colleagues.A colleague of the outspoken Tsinghua University academic said close contacts of Xu’s family confirmed that the professor was in police custody.The colleague, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said: “I’ve urged Xu to hire a lawyer since he was suspended [by the university] after his last…

6. China Ministry of Public Security backs Hong Kong police in rolling out national security law

   China’s Ministry of Public Security has pledged to “direct and support” the Hong Kong police to punish crimes against national security, in its first comments on the city’s new national security law since it came into effect.“[We] must direct Hong Kong’s police to stop the violence and curb disorder … to prevent, stop and punish the crimes and behaviours by an extremely small group of people who endanger national security,” the ministry’s leadership was quoted as saying in a post on the…

7. Immigration firms report rush of Hong Kong BN(O) renewal interest

   Immigration lawyers and consultants say more Hongkongers are applying to renew their British National (Overseas) passports as a national security law comes into effect in the city.Colin Bloomfield, chief executive of immigration service British Connections in Hong Kong, said there had been a "sudden surge in applications from people looking to renew their expired or lost BN(O) passports” after Britain announced a pathway to citizenship for holders of the documents on Wednesday.London-based…

8. Beijing’s surprise choice to spearhead the national security law in Hong Kong

   Beijing surprised even insiders by picking a veteran Guangdong official, instead of a senior officer from the mainland’s law enforcement or intelligence apparatus, to head the all-powerful agency overseeing the enforcement of the national security law in Hong Kong.But mainland analysts studying Hong Kong affairs said the appointment of Zheng Yanxiong, former secretary general of the Guangdong Communist Party committee, showed that President Xi Jinping wanted a hardliner familiar with propaganda…

9. Stay out of Hong Kong affairs, city warns US again after national security law sanctions bill clears Senate

   The US Congress has no right to intervene in Hong Kong’s internal affairs, the city government said in an online statement on Friday, a day after the US Senate unanimously passed a punitive sanctions bill in reaction to the controversial new National Security Law imposed on the city this week by Beijing.“Once again, we urge the US Congress to immediately stop interfering in HKSAR's internal matters,” the statement, by an unidentified spokesman, said on the Hong Kong government’s website on…

10. As Hong Kong autonomy bill moves to Donald Trump’s desk, analysts focus on his previous reluctance to use sanctions

    As US President Donald Trump faces pressure from rare bipartisan US congressional support for a bill authorising sanctions against officials deemed to have eroded Hong Kong’s autonomy, legal analysts are attempting to predict what exactly the American leader – who has shown a reluctance to dole out hard-hitting sanctions on China and Russia – will do next.On Thursday, the US Senate gave final approval by unanimous consent to a bill requiring mandatory sanctions on individuals found to have…