- China passed a draconian new national security law for Hong Kong on Tuesday, a move which will dramatically erode the city’s freedom’s under the “one country, two systems” agreement and whittle away at Hong Kong’s relative autonomy from mainland China. [NPR / Emily Feng]
- According to Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, the law criminalizes “acts of secession, subversion of state power, terrorist activities, and collusion with foreign or external forces to endanger national security.” [CNN / Helen Regan]
 - Pro-democracy advocates, however, say the law will be used to crack down on protests and activism in Hong Kong. It was passed just a day before the anniversary of Hong Kong’s July 1, 1997, handover to China from the UK. [NYT / Chris Buckley, Keith Bradsher, and Tiffany May]
- As Emily Rauhala, a foreign affairs correspondent for the Washington Post, pointed out on Twitter Tuesday, the law “seems to effectively criminalize *ordinary* life in Hong Kong: saying what you please, communicating as you please, gathering as you please, protesting as you please.” [Twitter / Emily Rauhala]
- And the law’s effects are already apparent: At least one pro-democracy party in Hong Kong disbanded on Tuesday as activists worry about what comes next for the city. [Washington Post / Shibani Mahtani]
- Nonetheless, some activists say they plan to march on Wednesday in protest of the new law, despite a ban by police. “The aim is to show people that even with the national security law, we must exercise our right to protest,” one Hong Kong district council member said. [South China Morning Post / Sum Lok-kei and Clifford Lo]
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