China will set up a "national security agency" in Hong Kong to oversee a forthcoming new law aimed at cracking down on dissent in the city, state media said on Saturday.
China will set up a "national security agency" in Hong Kong to oversee a forthcoming new law aimed at cracking down on dissent in the city, state media said on Saturday.
The fast-tracking of the bill -- which is bypassing Hong Kong's legislature -- raised international concern that it will end the financial hub's limited freedoms and usher in a new era of Communist-style repression. Xinhua said the eventual law would criminalise "secession, subversion of state power, terrorism, and colluding with foreign and external forces to endanger national security."
Leung also expressed alarm at Xinhua's mention of a separate security "council" to be headed by the territory's chief executive whose duties would include choosing judges to handle security cases. The Group of Seven foreign ministers on Wednesday urged China to reconsider the proposed law, saying they had "grave concerns" it threatens Hong Kong's rights and freedoms.
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