Wailing about what the colonial powers did to China in the past is part of the propaganda program in Beijing.
But when it comes to silencing critics, laws of the colonial powers are gladly taken.
Journalists from the Hong Kong news portal “Stand News” have just found out.
They are accused of disseminating "seditious material".
A condemnation is certain, because contributions to a democratic culture of discussion are already "upheaval" for the leadership in Beijing.
And “Stand News” tried to contribute to this, as did the “Apple Daily” newspaper, which was forcibly discontinued in the summer.
The reaction looks deep
It must have been clear to Beijing that other countries would harshly criticize the next step on the way to bringing the formerly autonomous special administrative region into line.
A sovereign leadership would easily put up with something like that, because nobody has called for further sanctions to be imposed in this context.
The angry reaction from Beijing to the criticism is deeply visible.
Not only is the leadership extremely nervous.
It also reveals its goal of bringing public opinion into line across the globe.
Only Beijing should be allowed to determine what is said about the country.
China politics must adjust to this.