Thank you so much.
With the draconian national security law, Beijing has the arbitrary power to detain, arrest and prosecute any political activists or dissidents they don't like. Carrie Lam says that the law is only intended to target violent protesters. That is a blatant lie. The sole purpose of the law is to quash our freedom of expression, any desires for political change and the right to protest. It has created widespread psychological terror and fear across the city.
Up to now, over 30 people have been arrested under the law. Indeed, the international media has covered the arrest of my dearest friend, fellow activist Agnes Chow, and the democratic veteran Jimmy Lai, who runs a pro-democracy news outlet in Hong Kong. High-profile activists like them were arrested as retaliation for the sanctioning by the U.S. government aimed at 11 Hong Kong and China officials who are responsible for the human rights violations in Hong Kong.
Arrests, however, are not limited to those with high profiles. Ordinary youngsters have also been arrested simply for possessing flags or stickers with protest slogans during arbitrary stop and searches in the city. These cases demonstrate the use of the law to terrorize and deprive the Hong Kong people at all levels of the most fundamental rights, and as a legal weapon for the Beijing government.
Because of these examples and the abusing of such a vaguely defined law, a sense of fear and white terror has permeated our entire society. Some of my friends are actively disengaging from political life and deleting posts on Facebook due to their fear of being prosecuted under the national security law. Academics are self-censoring and eliminating research topics that may be considered as crossing the red line. Reporters are worried that they are no longer able to cover certain sensitive topics.
This does not stop at Hong Kong. Recent reports have also indicated signs of academics and students in western academic institutions engaging in self-censorship, either for fear of danger when they visit Hong Kong or China, or due to strong funding ties to CCP-linked donors. Hong Kong is simply the first domino of the free world that has been knocked over by an impending avalanche of autocratic influence.
As one of the most respected democracies in the world, Canada has always been a place that Hong Kong people interact with and treasure. When Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997, a wave of Hong Kongers came to Canada in search of a safe home that shared our love for liberty, humanity and democracy. As the government crackdown intensified with the national security law, the Hong Kong people were grateful for the swift responses by the Canadian government to safeguard our freedoms, including halting the export of military-use goods and the extradition treaty with Hong Kong. Your young talent scheme also came as a lifeline for the people who face imminent dangers of political persecution at home, are in desperate need of protection, and are looking for a new place to call home.
We need to stop fantasizing that the Chinese Communist Party will become a strategic partner with liberal democracies. History proves that they only abuse the openness of our system and erode it by whatever means they can imagine. The democracies need to join hands and work together to safeguard liberal values and stop China from spreading its ideology and control over other regions.
Therefore, I would like to recommend the following policy directions to curb the influence of the Chinese authoritarianism. For the short-term tactics, Magnitsky sanctions against human rights abusers, particularly those in Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang, should be in place. Furthermore, banning Huawei from participation in 5G, just like other countries have done, and developing a coherent asylum and refugee policy for Hong Kongers fleeing persecution are much needed.
In the medium to long-term, we should be engaging with like-minded allies throughout the world to develop a strategy to push back against China's human rights abuses, hostage diplomacy and coercive trade practices; develop closer economic, political and security ties with Taiwan; and introduce legislation to combat foreign agents of influence in Canada, particularly targeting the United Front's activities, which is also crucial to do.
We hope that the democratic communities around the world can stand together and protect our shared democratic values.
Thank you so much.