Hopes, if any, that the sudden removal of China’s top representative in Hong Kong, who has been seen as a hardliner, on May 30 may herald a move towards focusing on economic issues have been dimmed – in less than one week.

The past week saw no signs that could give a ray of hope that the appointment of Zhou Ji to replace Zheng Yanxiong as Director of the Central Government’s Liaison Office may mark a shift of emphasis from national security to economic development.

The opposite is true. Events unfolded since the change of helm of the Liaison Office show no indication of a softer approach in maintaining public order and eliminating any threats to national security, be they were perceived or real.

Joshua Wong faced a new charge

On Friday, Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong, who was serving a jailing of four years and eight months last year over an official primary election, faced a new, and harsher, charge.

He was taken to court to face the charge of conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the Beijing-imposed national security law.

Wong stands accused of conspiring with self-exiled activist Nathan Law and “other persons unknown” between July 1 and November 23, 2020, to request foreign countries, organisations, or individuals based overseas to impose sanctions, blockades or engage in other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China, according to HKFP, quoting the court charge sheet. The case has been adjourned.

The annual June 4 commemoration

On Wednesday, the 36th anniversary of the Tiananmen student-led protests became a non-event in Hong Kong. For the sixth year in a row, there was no candlelight vigil held at Victoria Park, the venue of an annual commemoration since 1989.

It has come as no surprise. Although the annual June 4 commemoration has carried unmeasurable significance in the hearts and minds of Hongkongers, many, if not all, have resigned to the reality that that has become history.

With the laws on national security and public order taking effect, any organised commemorative activities, albeit in small groups, have become highly risky. The chance of any explicit commemorative activities in public places, not to mention Victoria Park, is close to zero.

Publicly, the mainland and Hong Kong authorities said the city has already restored stability following the chaos in 2019 and is now entering a new phase of “from stability to prosperity.”

Obsessed with fears about instability and restlessness, Police took no chance of the June 4th anniversary. Hundreds of police officers – both in uniform and plainclothes – were deployed in Causeway Bay on Wednesday evening, stationed in the MTR station, outside the Sogo department store, as well as in and around Victoria Park.

Judging from media reports and footage of Police’s operation, officers had been tasked with stopping any public commemoration held explicitly or in a subtle way by individuals in what the authorities have often described as “nipping it in the bud.”

In a reply to HKFP, Police said they arrested two people and took away 10 others on Wednesday. They included a 15-year-old girl, who was holding a bunch of flowers and wearing what appeared to be a school uniform.

As of Saturday, none of them have been charged with national security law offences. Some were being investigated for obstructing the Police or breaching the peace.

Strengthened to guard against the “big conspiracy”

On Friday, Chief Executive John Lee gave an interview with Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po, the city’s two leading Beijing-backed newspapers.

He described the Government’s work on safeguarding national security as being still at its “beginner stage”, saying national security propaganda and education would be further strengthened to turn safeguarding it into a “culture.”

The building of intelligence-gathering networks and manpower training will be further strengthened to guard against the “big conspiracy” behind “a seemingly ordinary chess”, he said.

Lee was mapping out his work plan on the eve of a visit of Xia Baolong, head of two Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office under the ruling and the State Council respectively, to Hong Kong this month.

Xia is expected to give a keynote speech at a forum marking the fifth anniversary of the implementation of the Hong Kong national security law during an inspection tour.

Facts speak louder than words. Always.

▌ [At Large] About the Author
Chris Yeung is a veteran journalist, a founder and chief writer of the now-disbanded CitizenNews; he now runs a daily news commentary channel on Youtube. He had formerly worked with the South China Morning Post and the Hong Kong Economic Journal.