[Editorial] As China continues to close in on Hong Kong, Seoul needs to be careful to not get wrapped in the new cold war between Beijing and Washington

Posted on : 2020-05-29 18:00 KST Modified on : 2020-05-29 18:00 KST
A protester in Hong Kong holds up her hand to signify the democracy movement’s “five demands, no less” and her opposition to the national security law passed by China. (Yonhap News)
A protester in Hong Kong holds up her hand to signify the democracy movement’s “five demands, no less” and her opposition to the national security law passed by China. (Yonhap News)

Despite the concerns and opposition of the citizens of Hong Kong and the international community, China’s parliament ultimately passed the Hong Kong national security bill on May 28. China is essentially neutralizing the principle of “one country, two systems” that it promised to uphold when it regained control of Hong Kong from the UK in 1997.

The first draft of the security bill passed on Thursday enables China to set up security organizations in Hong Kong to prohibit and prosecute attempts by forces from abroad to interfere in Hong Kong’s domestic affairs, divide the nation, overthrow the government, or engage in terrorism. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress is expected to finalize and enact the bill before long. During debate in the National People’s Congress, “acts that endanger the safety of the state” were included among activity that is subject to prevention, prohibition, and prosecution. That means that simply attending a protest or even criticizing the government would be a prosecutable offense.

One year ago, two million Hong Kong citizens took part in demonstrations against an extradition bill that would have enabled the rendition of criminals from the city to mainland China, forcing the city government to withdraw the bill. Disregarding public sentiment in Hong Kong, the Chinese authorities are moving to exert direct and total control over Hong Kong through a security law that’s much stronger than the extradition bill.

On May 27, the US government declared that Hong Kong no longer enjoys a high degree of autonomy from China, warning that it may strip Hong Kong of its special status and impose sanctions on China. Such measures would deliver a crippling blow to Hong Kong’s status as a financial hub in Asia. On the same day, the US House of Representatives passed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, which condemns the Chinese authorities for oppressing the human rights of more than a million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities by placing them in concentration camps — euphemistically labeled “reeducation camps” — and places sanctions on those connected with such camps.

A student at Hanyang University in Seoul posts a message opposing China’s new national security law on the campus’s
A student at Hanyang University in Seoul posts a message opposing China’s new national security law on the campus’s "Lennon Wall" on May 28. (Park Jong-shik, staff photographer)

The flames of the new Cold War between the US and China appear to be leaping from technological hegemony and blame over the coronavirus pandemic to the arena of human rights. Structural changes are underway as the US changes its strategic thinking to no longer tolerate Chinese provocations and China responds by moving into a mode of outright confrontation.

Amid these developments, the US has been asking South Korea and its other allies to side with it in building what it calls the Economic Prosperity Network, which is aimed at placing China in economic isolation. China is also attempting to use economic retaliation to silence criticism from the international community. With both the US and China clamoring for South Korea to take sides, Seoul finds itself in a deepening dilemma. The government needs to devise lucid principles for each issue and find a way to maximize the national interest without submitting to pressure from either country. It goes without saying that Seoul should also make clear that it can never support the oppression of minorities or democracy movements.

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