Hong Kong is not a police state. The extradition law was necessary and sought by other territories.

Hong Kong is still Hong Kong. If you went there in 2018 and then returned in 2023, you would say, "Yes, it's basically the same place."

There was just a lot of totally unnecessary and often violent drama for a while between those years.

I like honesty. I like the truth. Here's what really happened: 

In 2019 Hong Kong's Chief Executive, Carrie Lam, announced that a new extradition law would be established. This would ensure that alleged criminals in Hong Kong could be transferred to countries and territories where they were wanted for prosecution for possibly violating the law in those countries and territories. 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/6/11/hong-kongs-controversial-extradition-bill-explained  

Basically, this meant, for example, that if a guy murdered someone in Shenzhen, China and then fled to Hong Kong, it would be much easier for Hong Kong authorities to send the possible murderer back to where he was sought for justice.

Every country in the world has extradition laws. There are extradition laws between Canada and the United States and nobody complains about this. If a guy commits a crime in one country and then expects to escape by crossing a border into another, this makes it possible for criminals to succeed and get away with violent crimes.

Trying to be objective, it always seemed to me that folks who were anti-China were the ones who attacked the Hong Kong extradition law. They began arguing, with NO EVIDENCE, that the Chinese government in Beijing would identify people it did not like in Hong Kong and extradite them to China unfairly. 

There was never any indication this would happen. Indeed, if this were to have happened, it would have hurt Beijing severely because the Western press would have condemned such actions. The New York Times would have been all over such stories. China would have lost a great deal of credibility around the world. 

Yet, this argument that the extradition law was going to be used by China to persecute people in Hong Kong led to massive UNNECESSARY protests. 

I always felt that the protests were supported by anti-Chinese folks in the USA and UK.

Because of the constant protests, Carrie Lam finally announced that the extradition law would be dropped. It seemed to me that Hong Kong and Beijing were being very reasonable here. Even though they did not have to cancel the law, they did because they could see that many people were misinterpreting the law and many people were being harmed by demonstrators.

So what happened? The protestors increased their protests! 

https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/04/asia/hong-kong-carrie-lam-extradition-bill-intl-hnk/index.html

The protests increased as the protestors apparently felt they now had immense power over both the Hong Kong and Beijing governments. They were very much wrong.

In response to the protests, which were becoming more and more violent, and which would not stop, a National Security Law was invoked. 

According to this law it was illegal: 

1) To promote "secession" - the idea that Hong Kong should break away from China. 

2) To promote subversion - secretly working against the Hong Kong or Beijing government. 

3) To promote terrorism - using violence to gain a political end and 

4) To promote collusion - actively seeking the help of governments opposed to China. 

(The same types of laws apply in nearly every country of the world, even the USA.)

After the passing of this law, many of the protest leaders fled Hong Kong and are living in the UK or USA.

It is important to understand the following: 

The UK took control of Hong Kong from China through a series of conflicts and treaties in the 19th century. Here’s a brief overview:

1. First Opium War (1839-1842): The conflict began due to disputes over trade and the illegal opium trade. The British defeated the Qing dynasty, leading to the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. This treaty ceded Hong Kong Island to Britain.

2. Second Opium War (1856-1860): Another conflict between Britain and China resulted in the Treaty of Peking in 1860, which ceded the Kowloon Peninsula and Stonecutters Island to Britain.

3. Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory (1898): This agreement granted Britain a 99-year lease of the New Territories, significantly expanding the colony.

Hong Kong remained under British control until 1997, when it was handed back to China under the “one country, two systems” principle.

Is Hong Kong now a police state? No.  

1. Rule of Law: Hong Kong maintains a legal system based on common law, which is distinct from mainland China’s legal system.

2. Freedom of Speech and Press: Despite recent challenges, there are still media outlets and journalists in Hong Kong that operate independently and criticize the government. 

3. Civil Society and Protests: While there have been restrictions, civil society organizations and protests still exist. 

4. Economic Freedom: Hong Kong remains one of the world’s freest economies, with a high degree of economic autonomy. 

5. International Engagement: Hong Kong continues to engage with the international community, hosting international businesses and events.

I have been to Hong Kong several times. It is basically still Hong Kong.

https://www.meer.com/en/73814-stephen-wong-chun-hei-and-chow-chun-fai