Hong Kong Politics · Full chronicle and history

The 4th "Dudu" Independent Book Fair, originally scheduled for November 14-15, saw government departments demand the disqualification of 5 exhibitors citing "force majeure," threatening the cancellation of the entire fair otherwise. No specific reasons or involved departments were disclosed. Previously, Yulin Bookstore and Lewen Bookstore were denied participation in the July 2026 Hong Kong Book Fair.

On October 6, U.S. Senator Merkley and Representative McGovern announced the Hong Kongers' Asylum Pledge Act, which would allow eligible Hong Kongers in the U.S. to apply for green cards. While their applications are pending, they may not be detained or deported by immigration authorities, and their spouses and children may apply together. The bill has not yet been passed.

On October 5, former Hong Kong Alliance vice chair Chow Hang-tung formally appealed her conviction for incitement to subvert state power and her sentence of 7 years and 3 months; the case has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. The Hong Kong Alliance case involved four defendants: Lee Cheuk-yan was sentenced to 7 years, Albert Ho to 5 years and 2 months, and the Alliance was fined HK$1.5 million.

On September 30, Tang Ho-wing, founder of the Hong Kong independent online media "Boom News - Afro," was arrested by the Hong Kong police on suspicion of "publishing false information to incite" on August 31, when he was reporting on a rally commemorating the anniversary of the 2019 crackdown on protests. The Hong Kong Journalists Association said he is the first journalist arrested on suspicion of incitement since the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance took effect, and Reporters Without Borders condemned the weaponization of national security procedures.

On September 30, the U.S. Senate introduced S.5606, the Hong Kongers' Asylum Promise Act, which would allow Hong Kong people in the U.S. who have been granted deferred enforced departure protection to apply for green cards; the bill was subsequently referred to the Judiciary Committee.

On September 22, the UK representative at the UN Human Rights Council called for the repeal of Hong Kong's National Security Law and the release of British citizen Jimmy Lai, who has been sentenced.

On September 22, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, in accordance with Article 16(2) of the Hong Kong National Security Law, appointed Kong Hok-lai as Deputy Commissioner of Police (National Security), succeeding the retired Kan Kai-yan. The appointment took effect immediately, and Kong was sworn in on the same day. Kong Hok-lai was included in the U.S. sanctions list in 2021.

On September 17, the European Parliament passed a resolution by an overwhelming majority condemning the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance for causing the collapse of freedom, calling on the EU to sanction relevant officials, and demanding the release of political prisoners including Jimmy Lai, Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung, Albert Ho, and Wong Ji-yuet.

On September 16, when Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee announced his Policy Address, he used a white piece of paper to align line by line as he read. Ta Kung Pao reported that this reflected being 'serious and rigorous,' which sparked mockery from netizens regarding official propaganda methods.

At 11:00 AM on September 16, 2026, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee announced the first five-year plan in Hong Kong's history at the Legislative Council. The plan consists of 7 parts and 28 chapters, totaling over 60,000 words, and proposes 22 major indicators, 5 of which are binding. The plan covers targets such as land supply in the Northern Metropolis, innovation activities, industrial development, students, and tourists, requiring relevant indicators to be completed as scheduled.

The Hong Kong SAR government plans to submit its first five-year plan since the founding of the colony on September 16, introducing terms from the mainland's administrative system such as binding indicators and expected indicators.

A supporting document to Hong Kong's Policy Address calls for the Yan'an Revolutionary Memorial Hall to be listed as China's second youth patriotic education base in Hong Kong.

On September 11, 2026, the Hong Kong High Court sentenced leaders of the Alliance for Patriotic Democratic Movements of Hong Kong (ADPL), Lee Cheuk-yan, Chow Hang-tung, and Albert Ho Chun-yan, to five, six, and seven years in prison respectively for subversion of state power. The Hong Kong SAR government and the Legislative Council subsequently issued statements firmly supporting the verdict and accusing the US, the West, and overseas organizations of slander and smearing. Police Commissioner Raymond Siu warned that there are still hidden criminals. The EU issued a statement saying the trial was politically motivated and warned of damage to Hong Kong's rule of law reputation; the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for the abolition of the penalty and demanded that the National Security Law comply with international human rights standards.

Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa passed away in Hong Kong yesterday around 10 PM, at the age of 89. His ancestral home is Ningbo, and he moved to Hong Kong with his family after growing up in Shanghai. Tung Chee-hwa was the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong and has been long regarded as a pro-CCP political figure during and after his term.

On September 2, 2026, Joshua Wong, former secretary-general of Demosisto in Hong Kong, who is currently serving a sentence, pleaded guilty in the Hong Kong High Court to one count of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, and Judge Tam Yiu-ho announced that the sentencing would be adjourned.

On September 2, Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong pleaded guilty at the Hong Kong High Court to conspiracy to collude with foreign or external forces to endanger national security. The prosecution accused him and others, including Nathan Law who is in exile in the UK, of seeking foreign sanctions, blockades, and other measures against Hong Kong and China between July and November 2020.

On September 1, 2026, some kindergartens in Hong Kong had young children perform Chinese-style marching drills to raise the flag at their opening ceremonies, and the Education Bureau disclosed that it had held 40 flag-raising workshops for more than 1,000 kindergarten teachers across Hong Kong to strengthen patriotic identity.

At the end of September 2026, as the National Day holiday approaches, some netizens filmed a group of people on the streets of Hong Kong waving Chinese national flags and shouting "Long live the great Communist Party, justice will prevail." Dense rows of national flags were hung on some residential buildings, and national flags and celebratory banners could be seen everywhere on the streets.

On August 31, some Hong Kong residents held bouquets and chanted slogans outside Prince Edward Station to commemorate the 2019 crackdown on protests. Hong Kong police arrested them on suspicion of violating Article 24 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, "doing an act with seditious intent." As of now, eight people have been arrested in total.

Hong Kong's High Court has ruled that the Alliance and its leaders are guilty of "inciting subversion of state power," with the charges relating to the slogan "end one-party rule" in the Alliance's platform.

On August 21, 2026, the High Court of Hong Kong ruled that the disbanded Hong Kong Alliance and its former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan and former vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung were guilty of the crime of incitement to subvert state power.

On August 21, the High Court of Hong Kong ruled that the disbanded Alliance and its former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan and former vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung were guilty of incitement to subvert state power; another former vice-chairman, Albert Ho, had earlier pleaded guilty. The three will attend a mitigation hearing on the 28th, and under the Hong Kong National Security Law the maximum penalty is ten years' imprisonment.

On August 21, 2026, the German and French embassies and consulates in China issued a joint statement expressing deep regret over the Hong Kong court's ruling that convicted Andy Lau and other Alliance leaders of incitement to subversion, and calling on the Hong Kong government to immediately release Chow Hang-tung.

On August 20, the High Court of Hong Kong ruled that Hong Kong pro-democracy activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung are guilty of inciting subversion of state power.

On August 14, 2026, after Hong Kong independent bookstore Liu Xia Bookhouse was searched by the police's national security division, which took away several people and announced a suspension of business, a number Hong Kong residents posted sticky notes in front of the bookstore to show their support.

On July 17, 2026, after Hong Kong police raided an independent bookstore and seized books, the monograph accused of seditious intent, “Only Red Flowers Bloom,” quickly topped bestseller lists in Taiwan, including Books.com.tw and Kingstone, and an emergency reprint was launched.

On July 15, 2026, the National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force searched the independent bookstores "Lau Ha Shuk Se" and "Tin Yuen Shuk Uk", arrested five staff members and persons in charge on suspicion of committing the sedition offense under Article 23 of the Basic Law, and seized multiple boxes of books.

Hong Kong held events to celebrate the 29th anniversary of the handover, where participants wore uniform attire, waved national flags, and sang songs together.

A member of the Hong Kong University Student Union who had been arrested during the anti-extradition bill protests was released after being held for more than three years.

On June 30, 2026, on the sixth anniversary of the entry into force of the Hong Kong National Security Law, Human Rights Watch released a report criticizing the full mainlandization of Hong Kong's governance structure; the report pointed out that within the year the Hong Kong government empowered police to compel the surrender of electronic passwords, and once again injected HK$5 billion into the national security budget.

June 16 marked the 7th anniversary of the anti-extradition march and the death anniversary of Leung Ling-kit. Citizens went to Pacific Place to mourn and were cordially guarded and searched by the police.

In a joint operation, the Hong Kong police and the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) charged 7 individuals, including representatives from two contractors, Hung Ngai and Wang Yip, with a total of 25 counts in connection with the Wang Fuk Court fire case in Tai Po. The suspects were charged in court with manslaughter, conspiracy to defraud, money laundering, and other offenses, and were remanded in custody.

On June 8, 2026, the Hong Kong government submitted to the Legislative Council a proposal to amend subsidiary legislation, seeking to establish a Chief Executive certification mechanism, stipulating that the Chief Executive may determine whether an ordinary criminal case involves national security, and that cases so determined will be tried under National Security Law proceedings.

On May 19, 2026, the High Court of Hong Kong concluded the closing arguments proceedings in the case of former Hong Kong Alliance leaders Chow Hang-tung and Lee Cheuk-yan, who were charged with incitement to subvert state power, and the judge announced that the ruling on the facts of the case was expected to be formally announced in mid-to-late July of the same year.

Following the major fire, the Hong Kong government suddenly announced it would spend 6.8 billion HKD in public funds to completely buy out the property rights of over 1,700 disaster-affected households in Wang Fuk Court, demolish the buildings, and convert the site into a park, sparking public suspicion that this is an effort to destroy evidence of engineering corruption.

A major fire broke out in Tai Po, Hong Kong. Hu Liren said that the plastic mesh involved did not meet fireproof standards, and pointed out that its materials were related to imported waste.

On March 4, 2025, Cheung Kong, under Li Ka-shing, announced the sale of its global port business, including ports at both ends of the Panama Canal, to a consortium led by BlackRock, and was subsequently criticized in articles by official media such as Ta Kung Pao.

A Hong Kong man produced a video using the Cultural Revolution slogan "Revolution is not a crime, rebellion is justified" and uploaded it to social media to promote it. He was charged under Article 23 of the Basic Law with "knowingly publishing seditious publications" and was sentenced to 14 months in prison by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Court on September 20.

After Hong Kong's Article 23 legislation, contacts between groups and overseas entities may be accused of colluding with foreign forces, freedoms of speech, publication, assembly, association, demonstration and marching are further lost, and Hong Kong is trending from an open world city toward closure.

Hong Kong police conducted their first large-scale raid on the headquarters of Next Digital, paving the way for the subsequent closure of Apple Daily.

On June 30, 2020, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It was gazetted and implemented in Hong Kong at 11:00 PM that night. Subsequently, many countries suspended their extradition treaties with Hong Kong, and the United States revoked Hong Kong's special status.

Li Jiyi, head of the New Territories Work Department of the Chinese Liaison Office, spoke at the inauguration ceremony of the Shiba Xiang Township Committee, urging Yuen Long residents to maintain social stability and not allowing demonstrators to enter Yuen Long to cause trouble.

During the 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill movement, young mainland netizens, spurred by the Communist Youth League's official line and driven by platform algorithms, once again organized in groups to jump the wall and go on an expedition, continuing the model of online crusades that had prevailed since 2016.

In June 2017, then Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang stated that the Sino-British Joint Declaration, as a historical document, no longer had any practical significance and was not binding on the Central Government's administration of Hong Kong.

Legislative Council member Tu Jinshen, at a Legislative Council meeting, raised concerns about the Hong Kong government's security policy, stating that the Minister of Public Security's remarks on the Patriotic Triad undermined the morale of Hong Kong law enforcement officers, and expressed worry that triad figures might exchange political donations for preferential treatment.

At the time, Chinese Public Security Minister Tao Si Ju publicly said that as long as Hong Kong's triad organizations are patriotic and care about Hong Kong's prosperity and stability, they should be united.

China and the United Kingdom signed the Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong, establishing the principle of "One Country, Two Systems". Ke Hua was one of the key operators.

Huang Wenfang met with Hong Kong Triad leaders, indicating China's intention to retake Hong Kong, and urged them not to cause unrest.

Xu Jiatun visited the Kowloon Walled City, which was then regarded as a lawless place, and met with members of the local Neighborhood Welfare Promotion Association; this move attracted the attention and displeasure of the Hong Kong British government.

Xu Jiatun officially arrives in Hong Kong to assume a new post, serving as director of Xinhua News Agency’s Hong Kong branch, effectively acting as secretary of the CCP Hong Kong and Macau Work Committee, and begins to expand the united front by reaching out to various forces.

In February 1974, Governor of Hong Kong Murray MacLehose established the Independent Commission Against Corruption, directly responsible to the Governor, specifically to combat the severe corruption in the Hong Kong police force and society.

In 1973, the property under the name of Peter Godber, Chief Superintendent of the Hong Kong Police Force, exceeded HK$4.3 million. After the ordinance of the Independent Commission Against Corruption required him to explain the source of his wealth, he fled back to Britain, sparking anti-corruption protests among the Hong Kong public.