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People visit a promenade next to Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, on Jan. 18.DALE DE LA REY/Getty Images

When Hong Kong introduced reforms to make the Chinese territory’s political system more “patriotic” – reducing the number of directly elected seats and restricting voters’ rights in the process – officials denied they were creating a Beijing-style rubber stamp legislature.

Since the first “patriots-only” election in 2021, there have been a few moments of dissent – over pandemic policies, plans to convert part of the Hong Kong Golf Club into public housing, a new vehicle registration scheme. But with further national security legislation on the horizon, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee this week suggested there is a limit to even patriotic criticism.

On Thursday, lawmaker Paul Tse warned of a “tense, heavy-hearted and joyless” mood in Hong Kong, owing to a focus on “high-profile and high-pressure law enforcement actions.”

Mr. Tse urged the government to ease the “draconian atmosphere” and pay more attention to the needs of taxpayers rather than visitors from mainland China.

In response, Mr. Lee said he “strongly objected to any statement that causes social division and discord” and accused Mr. Tse of using “dangerous terms” reminiscent of 2019, when anti-government protests rocked Hong Kong.

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Chief Executive John Lee leaves after a question and answer session regarding the legislation of Article 23 national security law, at the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, on Jan. 25.LAM YIK/Reuters

“I have a duty to guide our community along the right line of thinking,” he added. “We now have patriots administering Hong Kong, but if people do not work together and instead spread negative information that is inconsistent with the facts, then we should speak out against them.”

Since the 2019 unrest, the authorities in Hong Kong have cracked down heavily. Political parties, civil society groups and media outlets have been closed down, and almost every prominent opposition lawmaker or activist is in prison or exile.

It has been years since Hong Kong saw anything close to a mass protest, but the focus on security has not eased up. Mr. Lee and Security Minister Chris Tang, both former police officers, frequently warn of “soft resistance” – an ill-defined term even they don’t seem to be able to fully explain – and the government has vowed to push ahead this year with additional national security legislation.

Police are a common sight on Hong Kong streets today, and without national security or pandemic regulations to enforce, have apparently turned their attention to clamping down on petty rule breaking. Other government agencies have also increased enforcement activity, hitting businesses known for supporting the pro-democracy movement with fines or frequent inspections.

This week, the Hong Kong Journalists Association said it had received a tax bill of almost $70,000 and a demand for records from the past six years. It has vowed to appeal.

In the legislature Thursday, Mr. Tse complained of plain clothes police “waiting to catch citizens who jaywalk,” restaurants being hit by fines and “constant and round-the-clock operations” against the handful of independent bookstores left operating in the city.

Writing in Hong Kong newspaper The Standard on Friday, political columnist Mary Ma noted Mr. Tse’s complaints were “shared by a number of other lawmakers,” adding, “but who would dare to take them up further after hearing Lee rebuking Tse?”

A lawmaker since 2008 who has in the past supported tough national security legislation, Mr. Tse is not the first to warn that an overriding focus on security is harming Hong Kong’s image and dragging down the public mood at a time when the government is trying to revive the economy and attract tourists.

In a widely shared piece last July, Chinese blogger Jinghaihou said the “excessive application” of national security legislation was undermining Hong Kong’s unique character and driving its decline. He accused officials of using national security “as a weapon to sell their policies” and a “shell to defend their failures.”

In December, Mr. Lee said it was “ridiculous” to say the government “only focuses” on national security and that doing so was an act of “soft resistance.”

Since national security legislation was introduced in 2020, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers have moved overseas, mainly to Britain, Canada, Australia and the United States, all of which set up pathways to citizenship in the wake of the crackdown.

Many expats have left as well, an exodus that began during the pandemic – when Hong Kong had some of the world’s toughest quarantine rules – but does not appear to be slowing.

The number of U.S. companies with regional headquarters in Hong Kong has fallen from 278 in 2019 to 214 today, with a similar drop among British and Japanese businesses. Figures for Canadian companies are not available.

This week, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index hit its lowest point in 15 months, dragged down by investor concerns over the broader Chinese economy.

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