text: China pushes controversial security law, could be end of Hong Kong
  (Photo by Sebastián Vivallo Oñate/Agencia Makro/LatinContent/Getty Images
  China pushes the controversial national security laws for Hong Kong at its annual meeting of parliament, in a move that Pro-democracy activists say they fear "the end of Hong Kong."
  China has been making it clear it wants new security legislation passed since huge pro-democracy protests last year plunged Hong Kong, has observed a "one country, two systems" policy, and a "high degree of autonomy" since Britain returned sovereignty to China in 1997.
  The US said the move could be "highly destabilizing" and undermine China's obligations on Hong Kong's autonomy.
  According to the Basic Law, the territory's mini-constitution, Hong Kong's government is required to pass national security legislation. However, an attempt in 2003 failed after 500,000 people took to the streets in opposition. That's why an attempt now to force through national security legislation which one legislator on Thursday called "the most controversial [issue] in Hong Kong since the handover" has caused such outrage.
  Sources at the National People's Congress (NPC) have said that China can no longer wait for Hong Kong to pass its own law, nor can it continue to watch the growth of what it sees as a violent anti-government movement. According to other sources from china, "We can no longer allow acts like desecrating national flags or defacing of the national emblem in Hong Kong."
  The controversial bill has been put back on the table in recent years in response to the rise of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.