EIGHT months after imposing a national security law on Hong Kong, Beijing is moving to tighten its grip over the supposedly highly autonomous region, with China’s National People’s Congress expected to review legislation next week that would ensure that anyone elected to any office — from district councilors who deal with garbage disposal to the chief executive — would, in China’s eyes, be a “patriot” who supports the Communist Party.

Within Hong Kong, the crackdown continued with the arrest on Sunday, February 28, of 47 former lawmakers and activists charged with “conspiracy to commit subversion,” which carries a possible life sentence.

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