The Costs and Consequences of the Hong Kong National Security Law

Eric GomezTheHong Kong national security law deals a serious blow to the territory ’s unique political freedoms and autonomy. The law is the culmination of Beijing’s efforts to assert greater control over Hong Kong, which has seen both a steady erosion of civil liberties andgrowing protests against Beijing ’s control in recent years.The national security law achieves the objective of further cementing China ’s control over Hong Kong, but this move will have multiple negative consequences for Beijing’s relationships with Hong Kong, the United States, and other countries in Asia. China’s willingness to pay these costs should inform how the United States structures its policies toward China if Washi ngton wants to create effective policies for changing Beijing’s behavior.The Hong Kong national security law is the latest in a long list of Beijing ’s foreign and domestic policies that are souring China’s relationship with other countries. In June 2020 alone, China haslikely launched large ‐​scale cyberattacks against Australia andkilled Indian soldiers along a contested border. Domestically,the Associated Press reported this week that China ’s abusive policies toward the Uyghur people include a massive campaign to reduce Uyghur birth rates through practices like forced sterilization.Economic relations have not fared any better. The coronavirus pandemic derailed a potential U.S.-China d étente on trade issues and the Trump admi...

Source: Cato-at-liberty - June 30, 2020 Category: American Health Authors: Eric Gomez Source Type: blogs