a new law could change Hong Kong's way
of life this is why after the Hong Kong
protests of 2019 China's government has
had enough we're told a new security law
is aimed at safeguarding and enforcing
national security Anan gongs chief
executive sees no issue so protests
itself is an expression of freedoms and
rights and openness if it is done in a
legal way okay
but for some this is far from okay if
this law is imposed on us that will be
the end of former Hong Kong Governor
Chris Patten says this is a
comprehensive assault on the city's
autonomy rule of law and fundamental
freedoms and US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo argues Hong Kong is no longer
autonomous from China but are these
criticisms fare well the law is being
imposed by Beijing after no meaningful
consultation with Hong Kong that's a
significant change and the law bans
trees and secession sedition subversion
and indeed leaves room for anything
deemed a threat to national security
this inevitably changes what can and
can't be said and done in Hong Kong this
though is how Carrie Lam season we are
very free society so for the time being
people have this freedom to say whatever
they want to say a free society for the
time being that phrase has not eased
concerns nor has a different law being
considered in Hong Kong that will make
disrespecting the Chinese national
anthem a crime while we've seen protests
clashes with the police and arrests -
and to understand why passions are so
inflamed we need to go back to 1997 when
Hong Kong was handed back to the UK the
communist government sees the return of
the colony as the end of a chapter of
shame in the history of China China
promised to maintain Hong Kong's unique
way of life an arrangement called one
country two systems' but there's always
been tension we saw it last year
protests grew and grew driven by a fear
that Beijing was extending its reach
that fear hasn't gone away come on hey
I'm gonna pay yet so again so I'm bad my
neck like I'd say yeah and so he now the
counter argument here is that 2019
showed that better laws were needed to
stop violence like this this to Beijing
was completely intolerable and having
seen previous efforts to negotiate a new
security law fail this time it didn't
ask whether this law is needed or not
Hong Kong's autonomy has been diminished
and America's noticed here's the BBC's
bureau chief in Washington us now seems
to be saying Hong Kong no longer has any
special status for this special trade
status is worth billions to Hong Kong's
economy and it's conditional on hong
kong being sufficiently autonomous this
is president Trump's spokesperson he
said to me that he's displeased with
China's efforts and that it's hard to
see how Hong Kong can remain a financial
hub if China takes over so Hong Kong's
economy could change too all of which
means the stakes are very high and from
an economic point of view this might
well be a loose loose loose situation
for China US and Hong Kong for China
this is about national pride and
demonstrating the government's ability
to control and govern for Hong Kong us
this is about their way of life that's
why it matters so much to both