As the coronavirus pandemic has dealt a big blow to China’s credibility in the world, Beijing has sensed the mounting pressure and fast-tracked its attempts to put Hong Kong under its direct control.
Whether it was the arrest of 15 prominent pro-democracy politicians with the help of Hong Kong police or proclaiming authorities to represent the central government to exercise oversight, China has taken several major steps in a week or so to achieve its goal to impose ‘complete-control governance’ in the financial hub of Asia.
Yi-Zheng Lian, the former chief editor of the Hong Kong Economic Journal, wrote in New York Times that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced China to act fastly as the virus, which first originated in its territory, has changed the way the world looks at Beijing.
“Sensing mounting international opprobrium and fearing economic decoupling with major Western powers, the Chinese government appears to believe that it must act, and fast, to once again turn Hong Kong into its window onto the rest of the world,” wrote Lian.
Some of the draconian steps that China has taken in recent days in regard with Hong Kong are — Thee Central Liaison Office, China’s leading agency in Hong Kong, has recently declared that it had “the authority to represent the central government to exercise oversight, be concerned about and express stern views on important matters involving the relationship between the centre and the special administrative region,” among other things.