China blasts criticism of new Hong Kong security law

Hong Kong's government has argued that the creation of the law was a 'constitutional responsibility'. - Reuters

BEIJING: China blasted critics of Hong Kong's new national security law on Wednesday (March 20), after Western powers and the United Nations said it would further curtail freedoms in the finance hub.

The city's legislature passed the law unanimously on Tuesday, introducing tough new penalties for five categories of crimes including treason and theft of state secrets.