Hong Kong's 'rule of law' put to test by primacy of security bill

New details show Beijing's move for sweeping control over city's courts

Pro-democracy protesters gather at a mall in Hong Kong on June 15. Such gatherings could become illegal under China's proposed security law. © Reuters

TAKESHI KIHARA, Nikkei staff writer

June 22, 2020 05:04 JST

HONG KONG -- The rule of law in Hong Kong, which allowed the city to develop into a vibrant and competitive financial hub, appears on the brink of collapse as China moves to pass national security legislation as early as this month.

"The national security law is the end of Hong Kong's autonomy and freedoms, since Beijing is imposing an authoritarian legal system upon the city's liberal common law system," pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong said Sunday on Twitter.