Hong Kong’s national security structures will be able to initiate investigations, as well as detain radicals acting in the interests of the United States.
Zhang Xiaoming, deputy chief of staff of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China for Hong Kong and Macau, spoke about this on Wednesday, speaking at a press conference.
According to him, the law enforcement authorities of China will issue warrants for the arrest of extremists at the request of a representative office in Hong Kong and by decision of the prosecutor’s office.
“China’s national security structures in Hong Kong have the right to open a case, start an investigation and detain the suspect after receiving the appropriate permission from the people’s prosecutor’s office”, – the official explained.
At the same time, he assured that there will be a clear distinction between the law enforcement and judicial bodies of China and Hong Kong in the area of responsibility. This does not exclude cooperation and mutual support, but the direct activities of the Chinese security forces in Hong Kong to capture participants in the riots and anti-government protests will be impossible. Beijing understands that this approach will provoke conflicts at the administrative and legislative levels, as well as chaos.
Hong Kong Anti-Government Protests
In June 2019, mass rallies began in Hong Kong, accompanied by pogroms and clashes with the police. An official reason for the protests was the extradition bill. If adopted, Hong Kong would be able to detain and extradite persons wanted by Chinese security forces to Beijing.
The demonstrators were openly supported by Western countries, in particular the United States and Great Britain. The protests themselves continued even after the authorities refused to pass the law. The most absurd occasions were invented for the campaign. For example, at the end of August last year, radicals smashed subway stations allegedly because of poor quality of service, as well as demolished “smart” lampposts that collect information about road traffic and the level of air pollution. The fact is that the protesters discerned in them a system of total surveillance by the authorities.
Shares in Hong Kong stopped amid the coronavirus pandemic and resumed in late April. A series of actions took place on May 1, and ten days later, riots broke out in Hong Kong with barricades and arson. Against this background, the Chinese government decided to introduce a law on national security in Hong Kong. The document, among other things, criminalizes foreign interference and undermining state power in this administrative region of China. The United States was unhappy with Beijing’s intentions, which became a new occasion for protests. This did not prevent the adoption of new legislation.