Beijing has reportedly passed a wide-reaching national security law for Hong Kong, which many fear could be used to override existing legal processes and further erode the city's civil and political freedoms.
Beijing's top lawmaking body, the National People's Congress (NPC), passed the law unanimously on Tuesday morning local time, bypassing Hong Kong's legislature, via a rarely used constitutional backdoor, according to Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK, citing unnamed sources.
Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency previously reported the law would criminalise offences such as secession, subversion against the central Chinese government, terrorism, and colluding with foreign forces.
A draft of the law had not been made public ahead of its passage, meaning the majority of people in Hong Kong have not seen details of a law that will now govern their lives.
The passing of the law has not been officially confirmed and details remain unclear. But RTHK reports that possible maximum sentencing for crimes under the law will be "much higher" than 10 years imprisonment.
Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam refused to comment on the progress of the bill in her weekly press conference on Tuesday morning, saying it would be "inappropriate" to respond to questions while the NPC meeting is still in progress.
The legislation was widely criticised by opposition lawmakers in Hong Kong, human rights groups and politicians worldwide, with many saying the law will cement Beijing's direct control over the semi-autonomous city.
Many worry the law could be used to target political dissidents, a fear that stems from China's judicial track record.
The passing of the law comes a day before July 1, the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from British colonial rule to China in 1997.
It has become an annual day of protests in the city, but for the first time since handover police have not given permission to protesters to hold peaceful demonstrations.
Chinese apps banned in India
Meanwhile, India has banned social media giant TikTok, as part of a sweeping shutdown of Chinese apps in the country.
TikTok, WeChat, UC Browser and Shein are among 59 Chinese apps banned in India in response to serious concerns about data security.
"The Ministry of Information Technology has received many complaints from various sources including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users' data in an unauthorised manner to servers which have locations outside India," the Indian government said in a statement.
"The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures."
The ban comes after a border clash left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead.
Both India and China said the other country had intruded on their territory in the Himalayas.
Troops have building up on both sides of the India-China border in the wake of the fighting.
"Unlike India's border with Pakistan, It's not very well defined. So occasional clashes can easily occur, for instance when a soldier wanders too far and sets up camp on the other side," Australian National University foreign affairs expert Clive Williams told Nine.com.au last week.
"You may have a local army commander who is a bit more aggressive than others. And then it is easier for tensions to rise."
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