Hong Kong (AFP)

A forced march: China adopted on Tuesday a controversial national security law in Hong Kong, perceived by its detractors as a way to muzzle the opposition in the autonomous territory.

Ignoring Western calls, the national parliament voted this text which comes a year after the monster demonstrations in the former British colony against the influence of the central government.

Scalded by these events, Beijing will have imposed this law in a few weeks which bypasses the local legislative council and makes the Hong Kong opposition fear an unprecedented decline in freedoms since the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997.

The text was submitted since Sunday to the standing committee of the national parliament, a body submitted to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

"The national security law in Hong Kong has been officially adopted," DAB, the main pro-Beijing Hong Kong party, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Several local media such as RTHK television and the daily South China Morning Post also confirmed the information, citing sources close to the case.

For the central government, this law is about ensuring stability, putting an end to the vandalism that has peppered the demonstrations of 2019 in the city of 7.5 million inhabitants, as well as repressing the pro current -independence.

For the pro-democracy opposition of Hong Kong and for several western countries including the United States, this law constitutes an attack on the autonomy and the liberties of the territory.

- "The end" -

Difficult for the moment to know the real consequences of the text: its precise content has remained secret until now.

The official news agency China New had however given the outline in June, affirming that the law intends to repress "separatism", "terrorism", "subversion" and "collusion with external and foreign forces".

In the viewfinder of Beijing in particular: the partisans of independence, or even certain foreign countries, in particular the United States, accused of throwing fuel on the fire by supporting the demonstrators.

A "national security body", reporting to the central government, should also be established in Hong Kong - a first. In particular, it will be responsible for collecting information.

The idea of ​​entrusting a body of Chinese power with prerogatives in the autonomous territory greatly worries the local opposition. Because the separation of powers does not take place in mainland China led by the CCP.

"This marks the end of Hong Kong as the world used to know it. With wide powers and a loose law, the city will turn into a #reecordspolice," tweeted Joshua Wong, one of the figures of the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement, on Tuesday. .

Since its handover, the territory has enjoyed a large autonomy from mainland China, under the principle of "One country, two systems".

Hong Kong people thus enjoy freedom of expression, freedom of the press, independent justice and the capitalist system.

- Visa restrictions -

But the region is ruled by a local government whose members are systematically subservient to Beijing, under the terms of a selection process which dismisses opposition figures.

Hong Kong's top executive Carrie Lam refused at a weekly press conference on Tuesday to confirm the law, which she supported.

Western governments have expressed concern in recent weeks about the city's international status, one of the world's major financial centers.

The European Union (EU) had expressed its "grave concern". The G7 (Germany, Canada, United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom) also called for a return to this project.

Anticipating the vote and firmly opposed to Beijing on the Hong Kong file, Washington announced Monday the end of sales of sensitive defense equipment to Hong Kong to avoid "falling into the hands" of the Chinese army.

The United States had announced visa restrictions on Friday for Chinese officials accused of "questioning" the autonomy of the territory. China responded on Monday with a similar move targeting "misbehaving" American citizens by criticizing the law.

What will be the reaction of the Hong Kongers now, now that the law has been passed?

Protests of scale seem at first sight difficult to organize: the authorities of Hong Kong always prohibit the gatherings of more than 50 people because of the epidemic of Covid-19.

© 2020 AFP