Aljazeera. Where every. 23 years of the sovereignty was returned to china and hong kong is facing the biggest threat yet to its prized autonomy china now plans to get directly involved in the Territories Affairs through a new National Security law so is this an assault on hong kongs democracy this is inside story. But everyone im come on santa maria one country 2 systems dont be so sure about that because with china moving to pass a National Security law for hong kong they could see the most significant reduction in its autonomy since it was handed over by britain in 1907 well there are definitely changes afoot chinas premier league chang announced the bill at the n. P. C. The National Peoples congress chinas biggest annual political gathering the draft law has 7 articles and will almost certainly be approved by the n. P. C. Wants passed it would allow chinese agencies to operate in hong kong to quote prevent stop and punish acts endangering National Security the thing is hong kong is government says it will help beijing enact the law which of course has upset the territories prodemocracy activists on friday day and opposition politicians marched to the Chinese Liaison Office to protest they were stopped by police who said they could actually only continue in. Groups of 8 because of a ban on public gatherings coronavirus protesters say the National Security law puts an end to peoples Political Freedoms in hong kong so lets start with an overview from adrian brown our correspondent in Hong Kong Well this has been a dark day for people who were already concerned about autonomy here in hong kong now chinas leaders say that this new law is needed to come back things like terrorism succession sedition as well as foreign interference now the latter is a reference to the United States which beijing has often accused of being behind and funding some of the protests here in hong kong now on friday this new law was debated by members of chinas National Peoples congress thats the parliament which meets once a year in beijing and it seems this new law could take effect as early as august there were protests in hong kong on friday as well as skirmishes inside the Legislative Assembly now currently social distancing rules mean that people cant gather in the streets in groups of more than 8 now those rules are due to continue until june the 4th the question i guess is when will those rules be lifted and what happens when they are will there be a return of those big street protests that we saw last year there was one line in premier league chungs speak to the n. P. C. On friday which has started a lot of speculation here in hong kong that is led to many people suggesting that china might now set up its own spy agency here in hong kong something that would be separate at parallel to the Hong Kong Police force. Ok so before we introduce the panel for today i want to just take a closer look at this planned law and why it is considered so controversial by many in hong kong i said it before one country 2 systems that is the rule that defines hong kongs relationship with beijing until the year 2047 it guarantees rights and freedoms for its people back in 2003 an attempt by the Hong Kong Government to enact a similar National Security law was met by widespread protests and the bill was shilled now beijing has bypassed the Territories Legislature and proposed the National Security bill directly to the National Peoples congress it aims to prevent subversion foreign interference and what i described as terrorism. Right as promised here is todays panel starting in hong kong itself we have got james token son who is a senior legislative the hong kongs Democratic Party in the Legislative Council in beijing wrong yang is the Vice President of the China Institute of International Studies and rounding out the panel in nursing in the u. K. And dress folder senior fellow with the Asia Research institute at the university of nottingham gentlemen thank you for your time we do appreciate your. Expertise on a very important topic i want to start with a quote virtual quote its from Human Rights Watch today who called this the end of hong kong and thats a dramatic headline but james if i can start with you is it may be the end of hong kong as we know it at least. It is. Well. Homegrown we are dirty or no role nothing is agreed you know and no beating that this week for us. Or long we think were not you know if you know human rights come. In hong kong. Its very free for us not respect human rights bringing will come to you in beijing i think your view will probably differ about whether this is the end of hong kong indeed i would say rather than and uncommonly it was of the evening of a new car into a beginning of a new stable peaceful and calm that there is law and order is going to be established and they know that the reason reasons and background are establishing that cruelty i mean the purpose of this draft you susan or the security National Security there is meant to risk to restore to protect to safeguard the National Aegis and the aegis the and to restore. Law and order which have been undermined its in the past a year so that in italy it is going to. Have a new outcome but the new york how come the stable going to have a law and order and its going to protect the interests of the all the residents of ok im going to come back to you on some of those points because i think we might have some disagreement just 1st of all undress a quick opening word from you as to say this idea of the end of hong kong as we know it. Well certainly what were seeing here is an overbearing Central Government which has effectively disempowered hong kong as they are government they have marginalized the Legislative Council and they have suppressed hong kongs Democracy Movement so yeah i mean if this is you know the beginning of a new hong kong and what weve just heard like you know the implementation of law and order then and certainly the more accurate way to describe that is that were seeing that hong kong loses its rule of law and its being replaced by rule by law and this means of course the rules of the Chinese Communist party ok so running i need to come back to you to about some of the points you made there and james dont worry well come back to you as well but if they dont you talk about law and order and stability and what about all the protests weve seen for so long now there is so much discontent in the streets of hong kong you cant genuinely think that people are going to accept this and i going to move into some sort of new era of stability and happiness with the situation in fact i would suggest quite the opposite. Well remember i assume that the question of protecting safeguarding the national each wrist and National Security in hong kong is a call to the basic nor the socalled article trying to sweep it i mean it has to be i mean in that according to that article i think. Both to be in that that the lords. Own to protect national eat unfortunately more than i think totally free. From parts and. That being due to such a version of the abstraction of course is not the one seat. I mean step realty law and order in hong kong it would never be able to do that and that is why we have seen the past few years these violence violent demonstrations these acts out terrorism and the loss of law and order in hong kong that has been not only back the aegis to the law and order but also icing that Certain International image National Security china of the Central Government i think the Central Government but i. 8 8 whole thing is just that decision and it would help. 9 up a whole what National Security and knows those rather than and i think people around the world who want to see step you want to see law and order want to see i think lasting prosperity homecoming been joy in the past 2 years whether well can certainly this legislation ok lets put it let me interrupt you sorry mr on that point was that ive. Let me interrupt you lets put it to james toe in hong kong itself runnings argument is that this is about and he used the word servant against ability law in order and National Security it is a National Security bill tell us in your experience how you think all of that is going to be received. Well 1st supposed to be untrue that we dont have any laws against. The law at all but like. Any other society that we have all the criminal thats in place in front of all your money you dont need people under the so we have all the laws to protect law and order the problem is that they think thats not here and thats you know human rights. And what theyre breaking want is to curtail freedom of speech its not about law and order its about freedom of speech of assam peaceful assembly. Take for example recently there are people who are punished under our law for peaceful assembly. Calling on peaceful time i mean it is thought to be against the human and thats the human rights come and the beijing one. So gentle says its about assembly and freedom of speech running says its about law and order and stability dress what do you think. Well i think we need to bear in mind you know the role of propaganda and so what weve just heard from our participants from beijing i think falls in that category i would like to just bring to everyones attention that Chinas Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office has actually very recently used what you know what i consider a genocidal language such as referring to hong kongs Democracy Movement as and like you know quote political virus unquote and they have called for the elimination and again a quote socalled poisonous and violent protest d and you know this is you know some of the context we need to bear in mind and also the Hong Kong Police force which just has been praised as kind of upholding law and order in fact they have themselves used the dehumanizing language referring to Peaceful Protesters as dogs or even cockroaches so i do think that this kind of belies all of this kind of verbal acrobatics that were hearing that this is somehow a bi National Security this is all about protecting the authority of the Chinese Communist party full stop wronging in beijing its very Strong Language isnt it what andreas just told us about that is very emotive and it goes beyond your argument certainly about stability and law and order. Well i think the it to our panel is one that about free speech i dont think that we have any problem at all but the big problem for me and i think for people who have d conscious that you know. The rights i know not only i think hong kong but also you in another part of the china is that their freedom should not be exercised francis are others and should not be that executes to attack and to use what islands against the. Innocent people there like as we have seen the reports like abound in the front. Desk the chance and all that human Police Officers were exercising up. To protect the law and order that these victimized theyre being checked and i dont see that its the screen this is not the kind of freedom i think the people you hong kong would like to have and for any government i think it was their duty to excess to whatever it takes to make sure the law and order being restored and that billet you maintain right and i dont and the reason i think that the Central Government and china to do that and are you know just as a government Central Government and seeing National Security is their duty and it has all the right to ensure that its National Security whether or not to be undermined you know general ive got a list of questions in front of me but im actually just really interested in just getting reactions from each of you to each other at this moment james again i i come back to your position as someone who obviously is in the Democratic Party in hong kong who opposes what is going on when you hear what ring young is saying there about the way police have even been treated i mean how does a balance out for you. Well i must emphasize again we have all the local criminal role. Models. And so anybody all from me thinks i. Will be part of it and rao were not talking about so little of the ordinary criminal or what they think one is something more about very freedom or peace for some who may be calling on something which rating. Is against their principle picking their reputation. And so were not talking about violent behavior not being punished by no ground 0 or no. Ok so what we have talked a lot about so far gentlemen is the cause and effect what people feel what they feel will happen if i can come back to you just for well let me play devils advocate here a little bit yes there is one country 2 systems but in the end sovereignty over hong kong rests with china and the government in hong kong appointees of china therefore another side china can do what it wants but it does have the final say over all of this. But you know the party also signed the 184. 00 sign a british joint declaration which is an internationally binding treaty which is lodged with the United Nations and of course the United Kingdom is one of the signatories and based on that internationally binding treaty they made a pledge that they would not change the system over 50 years theyre doing it now after 23 years so that shows us that theyre not honoring International Law so this is a direct attack actually on the International Rule based taught so lets not you know. Lets be very clear about this and you know we have to discuss hong kong also in relationship ship to Taiwan Premier League today spoke about taiwan fumigated the term peaceful when talking about the desire from Central Government to quote unquote reunify with taiwan and so whats happening in hong kong will not you know it will not stop there i think taiwan is very much inside for the Central Government and that is incredibly concerning given that this is selfgoverning liberal democracy an open and vibrant society well interesting is you brought up this issue and its definitely on my list of questions to do with the International Obligations this International Pact which was signed that broadens it out to how others will react to the United States to settle react strongly its saying beijing should reconsider its disastrous proposal the u. K. Expects china to respect hong kongs right to freedom again theyre all strong words but what can slash will the International Community actually do if this law comes into force. Well based on the principle of reciprocity it is a lot that the u. S. Government and the British Government can do see if they violate this internationally binding treaty then the u. S. Government the u. K. Government they can also take a very unfriendly act freeze on the can and i think they will sanction individuals both in Mainland China but also in hong kong who are complicit with this law and so weve seen such action of being taken against russian oligarchs and i think were now are nearing a stage where we will see similar actions taken against officials both in Mainland China and in hong kong wronging does that sort of stuff concern you the way the International Community might react if were judging by whats been said already that was actually my pompei or who said that it was a disastrous proposal and that beijing needed to abide by its International Obligations. Or let me before your eye up respond to the east point just briefly out respond to the point made by the reason why we had what should have let this legislation or the decision since already i mean hong kong criminal laws and law system to your system that is exactly the reason why you had with the act that caused the illegal criminal system or communal ought not so far has not been effective enough to do with that and more importantly i think the issues were talking about the much complicate it and then as