Frank Ching is a freelance journalist based in Hong Kong.
On July 1, Chief Executive John Lee marked the 26th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, which was created after Hong Kong’s return to China, by asserting that the city had left behind “the darkness of the epidemic.” He claimed that its economy had grown 2.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2023, “reversing the declining trend in the past four consecutive quarters.”
While sounding upbeat, Mr. Lee also issued a warning. “Destructive forces using ‘soft resistance’ means are still lurking in our city,” he said. “We must stay vigilant and be pro-active in safeguarding national security.”
Mr. Lee’s speech effectively connected the efforts to revive Hong Kong’s role as a global financial centre with the need to continue to crack down on perceived threats. That effort, now in its fourth year, has led to the exodus of hundreds of thousands of people, resulting in grave shortages in the work force, and the city’s isolation by the West – even as Mr. Lee says he wants to attract foreign investment and the return of expatriates.
But the government has persisted in its approach. Just two days after Mr. Lee’s speech, Hong Kong’s national-security police issued arrest warrants for eight activists now living overseas, along with a reward of one million Hong Kong dollars apiece (approximately $170,000) for information leading to an arrest.
Their alleged crime? According to the police, they had violated various provisions of the National Security Law that had been imposed on June 30, 2020. Several of them face more than one charge, but seven of the eight have been accused of collusion with foreign forces. The three countries hosting the eight – the United States, Britain and Australia – all issued statements critical of the Hong Kong authorities.
In Hong Kong, the Chief Executive was asked by a reporter what effect the police announcement would have on the city’s image. Instead of responding to the question, Mr. Lee said that the action sent “a strong message that any act that endangers national security will not be tolerated” and the eight “criminals” would be pursued “for life until they surrender.”
Mr. Lee hopefully understands the need to protect Hong Kong’s public image as a global financial centre. He has spoken before of the qualities Hong Kong needs to function as such, including the rule of law, judicial independence and the free flow of capital. It should go without saying that the government itself should refrain from actions that would raise questions about Hong Kong’s adherence to such norms.
But in June, the government applied for an unusually broad injunction that would apply to everyone in Hong Kong in an attempt to ban the promotion of Glory to Hong Kong, a popular protest song that had been confused with China’s national anthem at some international sporting events.
A national-security judge dismissed the government’s request on July 28. High Court Judge Anthony Chan said that, after careful consideration, he was not satisfied that the injunction was of any real utility in light of the existing criminal law regime, but was satisfied that there was a real risk of conflict between the two in terms of enforcement. The judge cited Article 4 of the National Security Law: “Human rights shall be respected and protected in safeguarding national security.” He noted the “chilling effects” that might be generated if the injunction was granted.
This rare government defeat was widely hailed, and even prompted the American Chamber of Commerce to boast that this was proof that judicial independence was in place to underpin the city’s competitiveness. The government announced this week that it would appeal the judgment.
Separately, local media reports found that ever since the national-security law was enacted, hundreds of political books or books written by pro-democracy figures have disappeared from library shelves. This did little to enhance Hong Kong’s image as a free and open society. Mr. Lee defended the move, saying that only books recommended by the government are on library shelves. If understood literally, this policy must keep many officials busy, reading each and every book to see if it is one the government should recommend.
And on Aug. 1, the police’s counterterrorism unit launched a campaign urging all 46,000 taxi drivers in the city to call the police if they see “suspicious persons, objects or activities.” It is hard to imagine that such a surveillance policy will encourage foreigners to invest, work in or even visit Hong Kong.
Instead, it is more likely to reinforce notions that Hong Kong is no longer free. That may make it difficult for people to tell the “good stories of Hong Kong” that Mr. Lee himself is constantly urging them to tell for the good of the city’s image.