Beijing’s top man on Hong Kong affairs visits the city

Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office (HKMAU), arrived at government headquarters in Hong Kong last week. Today, he will conclude his seven-day trip assessing the economic development of Hong Kong.

Of great focus was Article 23–a national security legislation proposed on January 30, 2024,  which stipulates the need to ban crimes like treason, secession, and theft of state secrets. The legislation is drawing concerns from civil society groups, such as Human Rights Watch, who believe it is designed to punish those who speak out against the mainland government. These organizations are campaigning for foreign governments to oppose the new legislation to ensure the National Security Law of 2020 is not further reinforced or abused. However, given the timing of Xia’s visit, it seems the mainland will continue to reinforce Hong Kong’s heavy-handed integration with broader PRC interests and continue to censor views that oppose the Chinese Communist Party.

Given the high likelihood of Article 23 being upheld, expect further Chinese input into Hong Kong governance as incentivization for mainland aid and support on a range of economic and political issues. In the short term, this may damage Hong Kong’s competitiveness in finance, as well as cripple independent thought and viewpoints on the island. The long-term consequences may be even more drastic, with Hong Kong possibly looking at complete dependence on China economically and politically. This may severely compromise the freedoms of independent Hong Kong citizens.