“This is the end of Hong Kong,” declared Hong Kong legislator Dennis Kwok in a press conference last Thursday.
The current state of political affairs in Hong Kong has never been darker. Beijing’s efforts to bypass Hong Kong’s independent legislature in passing a national security law would effectively end the principle of 1 country 2 systems that has enabled Hong Kong’s unique status and abilities. The proposal will make its way through China’s National People’s Congress—a rubber-stamp legislative body that meets to discuss policy serving the Communist party.