Hong Kong makes mocking China’s national anthem a crime

Lawmakers in Hong Kong have approved a controversial new national anthem law. Debate on the measure was briefly suspended after pro-democracy legislators staged a protest in the chamber. China has been pushing for the bill in order to criminalize insults to its national anthem.

Opponents see the legislation as part of a wider campaign by Beijing to clamp down on human rights in Hong Kong. This comes as China prepares to enforce a strict new security law in the territory. Today also marks the anniversary of China's crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen square in 1989.

People in Hong Kong have traditionally marked this day but larger commemorations this year have been banned. Authorities say this is because of the coronavirus but critics allege it is another move by Beijing to suppress freedom of speech. We'll talk to our correspondent there in a moment. But first this report on how China's president Xi Jinping has taken a tough approach from the outset- and not just on Hong kong but ..as part of a broader strategy to assert China's authority on the global stage.

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