What changed in Hong Kong after National Security Law? | Explained

The story so far:

Hong Kong has undergone significant changes since Xi Jinping came to power in 2013. Under Mr. Xi, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has increasingly focused on exerting its control over the city and integrating it more closely with mainland China. This process of assimilation has been systematic, raising questions about Beijing’s commitment to the “one country, two systems” framework and Hong Kong’s Basic Law. The most decisive shift came with the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) in June 2020. The law has fundamentally altered Hong Kong’s political, media, and judicial landscape.

When did the tussle between Hong Kong and Beijing intensify?

The major tussle between the CPC and Hong Kong began in 2014 when the city witnessed major protests known as the Umbrella Movement. They were triggered by Beijing’s proposal that Hong Kong residents could vote for their Chief Executive only from a list of candidates vetted by the CPC, with elections planned for 2017. However, after 79 days of demonstrations across the city, the protests were cleared by police.

Hong Kong was again rocked by violent protests in 2019 against a proposed extradition Bill that would have allowed suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial. As per critics, “people would be subject to arbitrary detention, unfair trial, and torture under China’s judicial system”. Although the bill was eventually withdrawn, protests continued over demands for more democracy. In response to the protests, Beijing described the unrest as “terrorism” and asserted that “restoring order was Hong Kong’s most urgent task.” The demonstrations were ultimately suppressed by law enforcement.

The clampdown on both protests clearly eradicated the political space promised to Hong Kong under the ‘one country, two systems’ framework. In addition, the lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic further helped the CPC to control any form of dissent.

What does the NSL entail?

The NSL, passed by China in June 2020, “criminalises anything considered as secession, which is breaking away from China; subversion, which is undermining the power or authority of the central government; terrorism, which is using violence or intimidation against people; and collusion with foreign or external forces”. Data show that around 260 people have been arrested under the NSL, with 76 convicted.

How has media freedom been affected?

The kidnapping of five Hong Kong book sellers by Beijing in 2015 heavily impacted its media freedom. In 2015, Lui Bo, Cheung Jiping, Gui Minhai, Lam Wing-kee, and Lee Bo, associated with the publisher Mighty Current and its bookstore Causeway Bay Books, disappeared. Authorities cited the sale of banned books in mainland China as grounds for legal action. This incident showed the push for ending critical media space in Hong Kong.

Jimmy Lai, the founder of the newspaper Apple Daily, was prosecuted under the NSL in 2026. The clampdown on newspapers started immediately after the implementation of NSL, and Lai was found guilty of protesting in 2021, and his newspaper was shut down. Another newspaper, Stand News, was shut down in 2021, and its journalists were arrested on charges of “conspiracy to publish seditious materials”.

What does this mean for Hong Kong’s identity?

Hong Kong’s identity has long been rooted in the ‘one country, two systems’ framework and the Basic Law, which promised to “preserve their unique political and economic systems”. However, since Mr. Xi assumed power, there has been a consistent effort to dismantle this uniqueness and subsume it under China’s identity. With no space left for critical voices with the implementation of the NSL, Mr. Xi has managed to completely subsume Hong Kong identity within the idea of Chinese identity, one approved by the party.

Gunjan Singh is Associate Professor at OP Jindal Global University