Hong Kong passes new national security law widening power and aligning city more with mainland China

Hong Kong's Legislative Council unanimously passed a new national security bill on Tuesday, as critics and analysts warn the legislation could align the city's laws more closely with mainland China and give the government the power to massively crackdown on dissent.

The 212-page law will go into effect Saturday and introduce 39 new national security crimes, which will supplement an already sweeping national security law that Beijing directly imposed on Hong Kong in 2020, per CNN.

China promised to preserve civil liberties for 50 years after the United Kingdom returned the colony to Chinese control in 1997, but critics have expressed concerns that the new law will further erode such protections.

Leaders in China and Hong Kong say the new legislation will "plug loopholes" and "restore stability" following the 2019 pro-democracy protests, which challenged China's control over the city.

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