Letters | Is Hong Kong running out of time to talk about ‘red lines’?

  • Since the national security law was introduced, many Hongkongers feel freedoms shrinking with the setting of ‘red lines’. How long before the right to discuss social issues crosses the line?

Hong Kong police officers stand guard in Mong Kok in response to calls on social media to stage anti-government protests and rally from Jordan to Mong Kok on what would have been the day of the Legislation Council election, on September 6. Photo: May Tse
As the only city in China to advocate the separation of powers, Hong Kong long attracted many foreign companies to invest and develop their businesses in the city with the protection of its legislative and judicial systems.
But everything seems to have changed after Beijing promulgated the Hong Kong national security law late on June 30. The law aims to prevent, stop and punish secession, subversion of state power, terrorism and foreign interference. Pro-democracy politicians and critics warned that it could be used to suppress dissent and erode freedom in the city, but their concerns were brushed aside by the Hong Kong government.
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