Major Western Media Express Concerns Over Hong Kong Security Law

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] On the 30th, Western media evaluated that the existing Hong Kong system would be significantly shaken by the Hong Kong National Security Law (Hong Kong Security Law) enacted by China.

US CNN reported the passage of the Hong Kong Security Law on the same day, stating that citizens are "concerned that (the Hong Kong Security Law) ignores existing local legal procedures and will be used to weaken citizenship and political freedoms."

CNN also criticized the fact that the full text was not disclosed even before the bill's passage, saying, "The majority of Hong Kong citizens have never seen the details of the law that will govern their lives."

British BBC also assessed that fears over Hong Kong's freedom deepened with the passage of the Hong Kong Security Law. BBC further analyzed, citing experts, that this legislation poses a greater threat to Hong Kong's identity.

Stephen McDonnell, BBC's China correspondent, said the Hong Kong Security Law is "a tool to suppress political movements within Hong Kong 'to a frightening degree' without restraint."

The US Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also commented that China's decision outright rejects Western criticism that it restricts the freedoms of Hong Kong citizens, and The New York Times (NYT) expressed concerns by citing experts in an article titled "With the Passage of the Hong Kong Security Law, China Gains Full Authority Over Hong Kong."

Kora Chan, a law professor at the University of Hong Kong who has studied the Hong Kong Security Law, expressed concern that "it will affect numerous activities that have contributed to the vitality of civil society and Hong Kong's unique characteristics as a global international city and financial center."