The Hong Kong Social Democratic League (Social Democrats) announced its dissolution on June 29, becoming the latest among all pro-democracy parties in Hong Kong to succumb to the suppression of the Chinese Communist Party’s “National Security Law”. Analysts believe that Hong Kong has now completely fallen into the grip of the CCP’s red terror, and the future of Hong Kong is expected to grow increasingly grim. Experts are urging Taiwan to learn from the bitter lesson of Hong Kong and not to trust the CCP’s deceitful words, emphasizing the need to defend Taiwan’s democracy and freedom.
With a history of 19 years, the Hong Kong Social Democrats cited “intense political pressure” as the reason for their dissolution on June 29. After considering the impact on their members and colleagues, they felt compelled to make this difficult choice, regretting that they could not survive until their 20th anniversary on May 1 next year.
Since April of this year, the Social Democrats have reportedly received three warnings, urging them to disband by July 1, or face severe consequences of potential “forced dissolution”.
Established in 2006, the Social Democrats adopted the slogan “Without resistance, there can be no change”. In the 2008 Hong Kong Legislative Council elections, they secured three seats and emerged as the third-largest party among the democratic camp.
The dissolution of the Social Democrats signifies that within five years since the implementation of the “National Security Law” on June 30, 2020, all pro-democracy political parties in Hong Kong have been suppressed by the CCP.
According to an informal survey in 2024, more than 90 institutions or organizations in Hong Kong had dissolved under the threat of the “National Security Law”, although not all of them were political groups.
Former mainland human rights lawyer Wu Shaoping told Epoch Times that the fundamental reason for the dissolution of the Social Democrats and all pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong is that the CCP cannot tolerate freedom and democracy in Hong Kong.
“Especially since Xi Jinping came to power, in his political vision, he aims to completely destroy the freedom in Hong Kong. Hongkongers can forget about democracy; he wants to entirely dismantle the freedom in Hong Kong, including its international status as a free port,” Wu said.
Wu believes that the destruction of all these civil society organizations “indicates that the freedom in Hong Kong is no more, signifying that the CCP has achieved its political objectives in destroying Hong Kong”.
Director of the Taiwan Chinese Democracy Institute, Zeng Jianyuan, told Epoch Times that one of the crucial roles of the Social Democrats as a party was to participate in elections and public decision-making. However, after the revision of the electoral system in Hong Kong in 2021, there was no longer free elections, and the Social Democrats could not field their own candidates.
Zeng stated that due to the Social Democrats’ close relations with the international community, in the eyes of the CCP, they were considered “hostile foreign forces”. This made them targets of the Hong Kong government, leading to their inevitable decision to disband in order to allow their members to continue living in Hong Kong. He added that other civil society organizations faced similar predicaments, all feeling a sense of “if one falls, all feel the chill.”
Wu Shaoping believes that the entire society in today’s Hong Kong has entered into a state of red terror manufactured by the CCP. Under the shadow of the CCP’s red terror in Hong Kong, the freedom of association and freedom of speech have completely disappeared.
He stated that before the “National Security Law”, Hong Kong’s progress relied on the power of civil society. However, at present, Hong Kong’s civil society and public discourse space have “completely shrunk”, and the media as a whole has entered a “winter-like state”. Anyone engaging in civil activism in Hong Kong risks trouble for themselves, making Hong Kong a place of great sadness.
He expressed that as Hong Kong loses its freedom, its civil society is also disintegrating. The political situation in Hong Kong today, in Wu’s view, has deteriorated even beyond that of mainland China.
Zeng Jianyuan pointed out that the harm to the freedom of the people by the police and judiciary in Hong Kong is greater than that in mainland China.
He explained that although Hong Kong claimed to be a society under the rule of law, the strict enforcement by the Hong Kong police during British rule was seen as a manifestation of the rule of law spirit. However, when the law no longer reflects public opinion but rather the will of the party-state, the fidelity of the police or judiciary to the law became a tool for political persecution, betraying people’s rights.
Wu further warned, “Hong Kong will only get darker in the days ahead. Corruption will resurge continuously, the economy will deteriorate, the society will become more oppressed, and sink deeper into the state of red terror created by the CCP. This is the foreseeable future for Hong Kong, and these scenarios are not just hypothetical; they are already happening on a large scale.”
He remarked, “The reason why Hong Kong has reached this point is because some people once believed that ‘the CCP would maintain Hong Kong’s capitalist system unchanged for 50 years’, but before even reaching 50 years, the CCP had ‘destroyed Hong Kong’s civic society and freedom’.”
During the British colonial era, although Hong Kong did not have democracy, it enjoyed significant freedom.
Wu Shaoping emphasized, “Now not only has Hong Kong failed to secure the democracy it aspired to, they have even lost their freedom. What does this show? It proves that the CCP cannot be trusted.”
He urged Taiwanese people to adhere to the “Three No’s Principle”: “The CCP deceived Hong Kong with lies. Today, its true face is laid bare for everyone to see. The lessons from Hong Kong’s bloodshed warn Taiwan not to trust any of the CCP’s sweet talk, agreements, or promises.”
Zeng Jianyuan mentioned that Hong Kong has the Sino-British Joint Declaration, an international treaty registered with the United Nations, monitored by the UK to ensure its enforcement. Despite all this, the CCP was still able to tear it up, showing that “Taiwanese people, naively thinking that ‘One Country, Two Systems’ could work in Taiwan, should look at the example of Hong Kong.”
He stressed that Taiwanese people must understand that while Hong Kong used to be an admired place for them in the past, now Hong Kong has lost all its attractions for Taiwan. “We cannot let today’s Hong Kong turn into tomorrow’s Taiwan, so everyone needs to think clearly. Nowadays, many people say Taiwan should pursue peace and avoid war.” He added, “Faced with the strong threat of the CCP, the loss of freedom in Hong Kong and its society should serve as a stark warning for all of us.”
Wu Shaoping concluded, “Taiwan must safeguard its democracy. The lessons from Hong Kong also remind the people of Taiwan to defend their democracy.”
“We must not only defend our democracy, not trust the CCP, but also need to arm ourselves to resist it,” he said.