By Wu Qiaoxi | 2025-07-02

Once known for its vibrant protest marches and pluralistic debate, Hong Kong now broadcasts Chinese President Xi Jinping's quotes on public radio in a 14-episode series.

July 1 marked 28 years since Hong Kong's handover from British to Chinese rule, and five years since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law that has fundamentally transformed the city into an "only for patriots" Hong Kong.

The recent closure of one of its most enduring opposition parties underscores what many see as the near-total disappearance of civil society, replaced by uncritical praise for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its leader.

The League of Social Democrats (LSD), a pro-democracy party that for nearly two decades championed direct elections and grassroots activism, formally disbanded on June 29.

In a striking farewell statement, the group declared: "Better to be ash in the wind than floating dust," The Collective, a nonprofit Hong-Kong based news outlet, reported.

The closure came amid an accelerating crackdown that has eroded most of the city's independent institutions.

"“In just five years, the Chinese government has extinguished Hong Kong’s political and civil vibrancy and replaced it with the uniformity of enforced patriotism," Maya Wang, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's China division, said in a report published June 29.

Silencing dissent

An Amnesty International report published June 30 highlighted how the security law has been used to silence dissent and erode human rights.

Between June 30, 2020 -- the day the national security law took effect -- and June 17, 2025, Hong Kong authorities arrested 332 individuals under various national security-related charges, according to the report.

Of those, 189 have been formally prosecuted. At least 91 face charges under the original security law, and 76 have already been convicted.

In 2024, the Hong Kong legislature passed its own complementary law, known as Article 23, with sweeping new powers for local authorities.

Meanwhile, LSD is only the latest in a wave of democratic organizations to fold.

The Civic Party shuttered last year, and the Democratic Party began winding down in early 2025.

LSD's final years were a shadow of its more vibrant past. Once known for legislative theatrics -- lobbing sandwiches and bananas at government officials -- the party had in recent years been reduced to a small weekend street booth, surrounded by police.

Chairwoman Chan Po-ying announced the unanimous decision to dissolve, citing member safety and political pressure, as reported by The Collective.

While declining to specify if Beijing's intermediaries were the source of this pressure, Chan, holding a red rose -- the party's symbolic flower representing dignity and fearlessness -- lamented the "domino effect" she says will force more groups into dissolution.

Silent resistance

Five years on, the national security law has effectively dismantled the semi-democratic system, civil society and free media that Hong Kong once enjoyed, replacing them with a silenced society, an opaque national security apparatus and a political system allowing direct CCP rule.

Once-vocal outlets such as Apple Daily and Stand News have shut down. Reporters Without Borders now ranks Hong Kong 140th in global press freedom, its lowest ever, classifying its media environment as "very serious"—on par with mainland China.

The European Union on June 30 condemned the "repressive use" of the national security law, warning that it has "undermined confidence in the rule of law and Hong Kong's international reputation."

Chinese officials have dismissed such criticisms.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning July 1 accused "certain Western politicians and anti-China organizations" of slandering Hong Kong's legal system, insisting that residents' rights remain "fully protected."

On June 28, Hongkongers in over 20 cities worldwide staged a silent protest titled "Is Hong Kong okay?"

Inspired by artist Kacey Wong, participants stood in public with mouths taped or covered by CCP stickers, holding satirical signs proclaiming "everything is fine" in Hong Kong, Tibet and Xinjiang. This demonstration aimed to counter state propaganda through silence, according to a Facebook post by Wong.

"While the CCP speaks loudly through global advertisements, we will stand silently and truthfully," said Aniessa Andresen, director of the German-Hong Kong Association.

"Silence is not surrender but resistance."