China approves contentious Hong Kong national security law

(AP) — China has approved a contentious national security law that will allow authorities to crack down on subversive and secessionist activity in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong’s sole representative on the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress confirmed the law had been passed.

The law has sparked fears that it will be used to curb opposition voices in the semi-autonomous territory. Hong Kong’s leader says it will only target a small minority of lawbreakers.

Passage of the law is seen by many as the boldest move yet to erase the legal firewall between the territory and mainland China’s authoritarian Communist Party system.