Crazy and just a little bit scary news today
In short:
China has decided to pass a new law which makes it illegal to criticize China outside of China, in particular in regards to Hong Kong. Explicitly stated to apply globally.
This of course does not mean they will start issuing extradition requests to anyone and everyone and obviously doesn’t mean any other government would comply. But it does strengthen their position to squash dissent within media and entertainment companies desiring to do business in china and has given them even stronger justifications for moving against anyone who would produce anything which has anything critical to say about China. This also of course puts an even greater pressure on expatriate Chinese individuals, especially those with relatives still in the country.
Edit:
Turns out the US also now finally passed the order to cease differential treatment of Hong Kong, partly as a result of these laws being passed by China in Hong Kong. I haven’t managed to chrew through the whole executive order, but if you have a bigger appetite for legalese than me, have your fill:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidents-executive-order-hong-kong-normalization/