Since the National Security Law (NSL) passed on June 30, 2020, Hong Kong people have been subjected to harsh persecution. The law limits freedom of speech and gives the government broad authority to arrest individuals on vague charges and sentence them to up to life imprisonment. Despite the massive protests in response to the law, many Hong Kong citizens are now fleeing in the wake of the persecution.
No Freedom Below the Iron Bottom Line
Xia boasted about the implementation of the law. On July 16, after one year of the law coming into effect, he emphasized that “anti-China and Hong Kong-disrupting elements mustn’t be allowed to enter the governing architecture,” reported state-run Xinhua News.Individuals accused of being disruptive elements include Jimmy Lai, owner of the now-closed independent Apple Daily, and Lee Cheuk-yan, a long-time pro-democracy politician.
Apply Daily, one of Hong Kong’s few independent news outlets, printed its last edition on June 24 after police raided its headquarters. Police froze company assets and arrested executives and reports alike.
The Epoch Times reached out to multiple Hong Kong insiders and organizations, but none agreed to publicly discuss the NSL.
However, one anonymous freelance writer named John (pseudonym) challenged Xia’s claims regarding the role of the NSL in a July 19 interview with The Epoch Times.
He noted that a recent large exodus from Hong Kong to the UK illustrates that most of the departing families are frustrated and threatened by the communist regime. John says they choose to vote with their feet, by migrating abroad.
Pro-Democracy Camp Is Being Ousted
Experts say the local pro-democracy camp faces full exclusion from the political stage. Xia Baolong vowed to exclude individuals deemed as “anti-China” from city politics, according to China’s state media.Hopeful politicians will now be subject to reviews from a “Candidate Eligibility Review Committee,” John said. “What they [communist officials and pro-establishment members] are going to do is to exclude all possible oppositions into any level of councils.”
The Man Who Removed the Cross
Xia has a history of heavy-handed tactics. He also has a history of closely working with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and as a hawk on the implementation of the Hong Kong NSL.From November 2003 to March 2007 when Xi served as the head of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the CCP, Xia was Xi’s deputy chief for that time. One month after Xi became the leader of the CCP in November 2012, Xia was promoted to the top leadership position of Zhejiang Province.
Then in February 2020, when the 68-year-old Xia was set for retirement, he was instead promoted to the head of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office. Since he took office, China and Hong Kong authorities steadily pushed forward the NSL.