HANDS ON ROLE

China Says It Will ‘ Direct and Support’ Hong Kong Cops’ Crackdown on Protesters

It’s the clearest sign yet that Beijing intends to take on a direct law-enforcement role in the city.

China’s Ministry of Public Security has pledged to “direct and support” Hong Kong’s police crackdown on protests in a clear sign that Beijing intends to take on a direct law-enforcement role in the city. Hong Kong’s police force is supposed to be independent from China and, currently, the MPS has no enforcement powers there. But, in a statement released late Thursday, the MPS—China’s national police force—said it would use “all efforts to direct and support the Hong Kong police to stop violence and restore order.” The pledge came after China’s parliament approved a decision to impose a national-security law on the semi-autonomous territory. Alfred Wu, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, told Reuters: “This is the clearest indication yet that the Public Security Ministry will have the authority to supervise Hong Kong police in matters of national security.”