Xi's Hong Kong power grab deftly masks domestic shortcomings

With a single stroke, president shuts down critics in his party and justifies US tensions

Delegates applaud as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives for the opening session of China's National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 22. (Xinhua via AP)

KEN MORIYASU and TAKESHI KIHARA, Nikkei staff writers

May 23, 2020 05:58 JST

NEW YORK/HONG KONG -- China's new national security legislation for Hong Kong threatens to eviscerate the "one country, two systems" principle under which the territory has been run since 1997.