Hong Kongers are bracing for an even wider clampdown on dissent
Officials are sowing fear with vaguely worded warnings against “soft resistance”
AN EXPLOSION OF anti-government discontent in Hong Kong in 2019 prompted China to impose a draconian national-security law on the territory to prevent further protests. Officials say this has helped: Hong Kong has achieved a “major transition from chaos to order”, they insist. But even after thousands of arrests and numerous trials, both under the new law and dredged-up statutes from the colonial era, the authorities are twitchy. Increasingly, they warn of “soft resistance” that could trigger fresh unrest. A new phase may be unfolding in Hong Kong’s war on dissent.
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Widening the net ”
From the August 12th 2023 edition
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