-The purpose of this piece of legislation

is not just to punish.

It is also to deter.

-This is basically the end of one judicial system.

-To deter people from committing such serious offenses

as secession,

subverting of state power, terrorist utilities,

and so on and on.

-There is no more justice system,

no more firewall between the system

in Hong Kong and in China.

-Free Hong Kong was one of the world's most stable,

prosperous, and dynamic cities.

Now -- Now we're just another communist-run city

where people subject to the party elite's whims.

-Probably in the future,

we may never see a million people on the street again,

just because we are now living in fear.

-Most people thought Hong Kong had more time.

More time to exercise freedom of speech in the press

and live under a legal system of due process.

Hong Kong's special status as a city

separated from the authoritarian rule of mainland China

should have lasted until 2047.

Sure, Beijing had been chipping away large

and small at the city's civil liberties

since Britain handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997.

In fact, last year's massive protests were in response

to an extradition bill

that would have allowed criminal cases

to be tried on the mainland.

But in 2020,

it seems the patience of China's President Xi Jinping ran out.

-On July 1st, Hong Kong's 7.

5 million residents woke up to find themselves

effectively under the same speech restrictions

as in the mainland.

This meant possible life imprisonment

for crimes like subversion

and colluding with foreign forces,

which are crimes that had long been used in the mainland

for detaining political dissidents

and human rights activists.

Despite the harsh new laws,

thousands of Hong Kongers took to the streets July 1st.

Hundreds were arrested,

including at least 10 suspected of violating the new law.

One man was arrested for simply holding a sign

that read "Hong Kong Independence".

The news of the arrest was tweeted out

on the official account of the Hong Kong Police Force.

Countries like Taiwan, the US, Australia, and Britain

said they would open their doors to millions

of Hong Kong refugees ready to flee their home,

in some cases offering a path to citizenship.

-The fact that Britain and a number

of other Western governments,

including the United States, is considering giving Hong Kong

some kind of safe haven or sanctuary

or asylum really demonstrates

the gravity of the political crisis right now.

-China continued down this path, we would introduce a new route

for those with British national oversea status

to enter the UK,

granting them limited leave to remain with the ability

to live and work in the UK

and thereafter, to apply for citizenship,

and that is precisely what we will do now.

-They see this new national security law

that Beijing essentially rammed through Hong Kong

as a potential marker in the city's political evolution,

a pretty grim one, that may mean the end

of Hong Kong's special status, both in terms of business,

but also just in the Western political imagination.

-But if Hong Kong had until 2047,

why did Beijing act now?

-Beijing saw its opportunity this year,

with the coronavirus and the Black Lives Matter protests

taking up a lot of the attention and bandwidth

of other countries.

It was a time that they could move quickly on this.

That being said, it is something that Beijing

has been wanting to do for quite a while.

Since last year, when the protests broke out,

Beijing has been looking for a way that it can exert

more control in Hong Kong while still being able to say

that it's following the letter of the law

and that it isn't just, you know, a forcible takeover.

-Hong Kong activists have pledged to continue

their fight for civil liberties,

even if it means they'll have to do so outside the city.

But to many observers,

the law marks the definitive end to a democratic Hong Kong,

even if Hong Kong's chief executive sees it differently.

-This law will not undermined human rights and freedoms.

This law will restore stability to Hong Kong.

This law will ensure that this very important principle

of one country, two systems can continue,

and Hong Kong can enjoy longtime stability and prosperity.