By Isolde Doubell
19/09/2024
Earlier this month, Chu Kai-pong, a 27-year-old Hong Kong man, pleaded guilty to one count of “doing acts with seditious intent.” He was arrested on 12 June at a train station wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times,” and a yellow mask printed with “FDNOL” – a reference to another pro-democracy slogan, “five demands, not one less.” The date 12 June, as well as the colour yellow, is associated with the protests the city experienced in 2019.
Hong Kong became a British colony after the Opium Wars of the 1840s and was under British rule for 156 years. When it was handed back to China in 1997, the agreement was that Hong Kong’s civil liberties and capitalist system would remain intact for the next 50 years, in accordance with the “one country, two systems” principle agreed between Britain and China.
However, after the months-long protests of 2019, Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020, punishing secession, subversion, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison. It has since been used in dozens of cases involving pro-democracy figures, including journalists and former politicians. Its implementation has affected freedoms of expression, assembly, and the press in Hong Kong, aligning the region’s governance more closely with mainland China’s authoritarian model.
In March 2024, Hong Kong passed a second security law – an ordinance known as Article 23 of the mini-constitution, the Basic Law. Chu Kai-pong’s conviction was the first under the new national security legislation, which raised the maximum penalty for sedition from two years to seven years in prison and could even extend to 10 years if “collusion with foreign forces” is found to be involved. Sedition is generally defined as inciting hatred or contempt against the Chinese central government, the Hong Kong government, or the judiciary. As of August, 301 people had been arrested under the two security laws, with 176 prosecuted and 157 convicted, including two former editors of the now-defunct outspoken Stand News.
Before the handover to China, almost a million Hong Kong residents emigrated to countries such as Britain, Canada, and Taiwan. Now, countless families and professionals are emigrating again, and businesses, media outlets, and NGOs are relocating their offices. The Hong Kong authorities have introduced new schemes to attract residents, with mainland Chinese individuals predominantly taking advantage of these programmes. How does all of this affect the Church? According to the Joshua Project, Christianity is the second largest religion in Hong Kong (after Chinese ethnic religions), comprising about one million of the total population of 7.4 million. Of these, 6.1% are evangelical. Lo Man Wai, editor-in-chief of the Christian Times newspaper in Hong Kong, commented in Christianity Today earlier this year: “Once known for its freedoms, Hong Kong has sunk to the bottom of the Reporters Without Borders’ press freedom ranking (135 of 177). A sense of fear permeating civil society causes citizens to self-censor. Pro-democracy newspapers and websites have shut down as journalists have started their own news channels on social media. The city is currently experiencing a severe brain drain… The Church is also facing unique challenges. Many churches in Hong Kong have historical, denominational, and social ties with churches in mainland China. The stories of Christian persecution in the mainland … inform the churches in Hong Kong of what the future of religious freedom could look like. Local churches are also experiencing their own brain drain as congregants and pastoral staff are leaving Hong Kong. Churches increasingly face financial shortfalls as their congregations shrink.”
A Friend of INcontext who frequently travels between mainland China and Hong Kong shared the following: “The atmosphere in Hong Kong has changed; some of the oppressiveness from China has transferred over, but it’s still much freer than China. For us, going to Hong Kong still feels like a relief – when you cross the border, you feel a burden lifted off your shoulders. However, since most people in Hong Kong don’t spend much time in China and aren’t used to living under the same level of oppression, they feel that things aren’t as free as they used to be – and they’re right.” We, as the Body of Christ, can pray for our fellow believers in Hong Kong, that they will grow in wisdom, faith, and numbers despite what the future may hold.
Please join us in prayer for the following:
- For pastors of churches in Hong Kong to have wisdom in handling the pressures of the society they are in, and to inspire faith rather than fear.
- For the churches in Hong Kong to encourage one another, drawing their peace and strength from God.
- For the Christians leaving Hong Kong and settling in other countries, that they will be faithful witnesses and draw people to Christ.
