Within days of a draconian national security law taking effect in Hong Kong this week, Beijing appointed a hard-line and controversial Communist Party figure as head of the newly established office to ensure that radical new changes are implemented.
Zheng Yanxiong’s appointment has many critics who fear it is a further step in an authoritarian direction, given that he is best known for his violent crackdown on protests in the mainland village of Wukan several years ago.
A woman passes a Hong Kong national security law promotional banner in Hong Kong on Tuesday, June 30, 2020. China passed a contentious law that would allow authorities to crack down on subversive and secessionist activities in Hong Kong, sparking fears that it will be used to curb opposition voices in semi-autonomous territory.
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The Wukan riots were first triggered in 2011 amid a land dispute in the southern China town, in which locals sought compensation for land claimed and taken by the government. The disgruntled villagers effectively expelled several officials who they accused of signing corrupt deals with the developers, resulting in the loss of their personal property.
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But when Beijing had enough turmoil, Yanxiong was sent to handle the matter.
The party’s top official was accused of agitating and trying to silence protesters, sending hundreds of riot police and gathering dozens of villages. At the same time, he gained notoriety for his provocative comments during the protests, in which he stated: “Pigs will fly before the foreign press can be trusted” and blamed the villagers for “colluding” with the international media to “Create problems”.
A prolonged blockade and eventual agreement between communist and local leaders sparked a slow boil of tension, but later riots erupted when payments had not yet been made, and their elected leader was banished, according to reports at the time. By then, Yanxiong was no longer in that role and had instead become Secretary General of the Guangdong branch of the Communist Party.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the closing session of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing on Thursday May 28, 2020. China’s ceremonial legislature has endorsed a national security law for Hong Kong that it has strained relations with the United States and Great Britain.
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However, his latest high-power appointment comes immediately after the Hong Kong government confirmed the establishment of its own national security committee, chaired by Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Additional selections made by Beijing include that of Luo Huining, who heads the Beijing Liaison Office in Hong Kong, to now serve as an advisor to the Hong Kong chief executive officer on the new security law, while a long-time official at the territory, Eric Chan, will head the national security commission.
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The security law, which has won the condemnation of much of the international community for concerns that it will destroy Hong Kong’s freedom, strives to denounce “acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign and external forces” with possible life sentences.
Protesters against the new five-finger national security law gesture, meaning “Five Demands, Not One Less” on the anniversary of Hong Kong’s move to China from Britain in Hong Kong, Wednesday, July. 1, 2020. Hong Kong marked the 23rd anniversary of its handover to China in 1997, and just a day after China enacted a national security law cracking down on protests on the ground.
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Hong Kong’s sovereignty was returned to China by Britain in 1997, under the “one country, two systems” agreement that at least 50 years of individual rights would be respected.
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The law targets secession, subversion, and terrorism with punishments of up to life in prison. Almost 400 protesters have already been arrested since implementation since July 1, and several have been investigated for “secession crimes” under the new law. In addition, numerous pro-democracy activists have resigned from their posts, and several have fled.
Beijing has responded to growing rejection, according to the BBC, by stating that Hong Kong’s affairs “are none of its business.”
