HK in trouble as it loses autonomy By Joseph Tse-hei Lee 李榭熙 Once a world-class territory for entrepreneurs and investors, Hong Kong is now in trouble. Its full integration into the Chinese autocratic system began with the implementation of the National Security Law last year. Proclaiming to safeguard security without deterring investment, Beijing has imposed a top-down authoritarian rule, dictated public discourse with state-run media, and replaced civil service professionals with ideological loyalists and independent judges with pliable cronies. The new security regime authorizes the local government and police to employ violence to silence dissent and elicit obedience from Hong Kongers. Even though Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥) and her cronies are firmly in power, they are morally bankrupt and callous, losing the legitimacy that they desperately need to govern.