China passes landmark legislation to force national security laws in Hong Kong, effectively crushing the city's autonomy

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• China passed new national security legislation for Hong Kong on Thursday in a major blow to the city's autonomy. 
• The proposal was voted on by the annual and largely rubber-stamp National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday afternoon, allowing China to unilaterally force national security laws in Hong Kong.
• The proposal passed by a vote of 2,878 to 1, and six others abstained.
• Critics have said the new laws spell the "end of Hong Kong" and its freedoms. The aggressive action has already prompted renewed protests in the city.
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China approved plans to force new national security laws on Hong Kong on Thursday, effectively curtailing the semi-autonomous city's freedoms in a move that has drawn widespread condemnation since it was first discussed last week.

The proposal was voted on by the annual National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday afternoon, allowing China to unilaterally draft a national security law for Hong Kong. The legislative meeting largely rubber-stamps decisions already made by the top tiers of China's Communist Party.

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See Also:

• US mission to the UN accuses China of 'exploiting COVID-19' to distract from abuses in Hong Kong as tensions boil over
• Xi Jinping urges China's army to prepare for armed combat as Hong Kong protests restart over a new bill that would strip away the city's freedoms
• Hong Kong activists are begging German Chancellor Angela Merkel not to sacrifice the country's values ​​to please China

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