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Tag: Hong Kong National Security Law

Game Gags

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Hong Kong authorities banned the Taiwanese mobile game “Reversed Front: Bonfire” (逆統戰：烽火) on June 10, marking the first time the city has publicly condemned a gaming application under national security laws. The National Security Department warned residents against downloading, sharing, or financially supporting the game, claiming it promoted Hong Kong and Taiwan independence while encouraging armed revolution against China’s government. Hong Kong security chief Chris Tang (鄧炳強) described the game, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA), as “quietly poisoning young minds” (悄然荼毒年輕人思想) with “extremely malicious” tactics.

Created by the Taiwan-based development team ESC (台灣境外戰略溝通工作小組), a civilian volunteer group, the strategy game allows players to control various factions, including those representing Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other regions in scenarios involving the overthrow of communist rule. An ESC spokesperson previously told BBC Chinese the group’s main work is to “contact overseas anti-communist organizations, and assist overseas allies in promoting propaganda and organizational work.” Following news of the ban, online searches for the game surged dramatically, according to Taiwan’s Up Media (上報). The app has been removed from local download platforms in Hong Kong.

More Targets for Chris Tang

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Hong Kong Security Secretary Chris Tang (鄧炳強) publicly criticized a social media-based publication called Edu Lancet (教育刺針) on March 30, 2025, for spreading rumors and “dividing society” after it raised questions — “sensationalizing,” Tang called it — about the death of a Hong Kong student during a Hangzhou exchange program. Tang also warned against “soft resistance” (軟對抗), a concept authorities in the city have increasingly used to describe acts of peaceful expression that allegedly undermine government authority. The case was covered by a number of outlets, including Points Media (棱角媒體) — a global media collective of former Hong Kong journalists.

This push against peaceful expression was reflected in a report last month by Amnesty International that showed that at least 16 people have been arrested in the past year under Article 23 — known as the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance — for actions such as wearing protest-slogan T-shirts.

At a symposium last month marking the one-year anniversary of the ordinance, officials warned that while “development is an unyielding principle” (发展是硬道理 ), “security is also an unyielding principle” (安全也是硬道理). In a rather stark illustration of China’s dominance of Hong Kong politics, this pairing was a direct copying of a phrase introduced on March 1 by Xi Jinping during a collective study session of the CCP Politburo. The first phrase, about development, echoes a core concept introduced in 1992 by Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平). The latter phrase is apparently Xi’s own recent elaboration, and likely speaks to the CCP’s sense of anxiety about the volatility of the present moment.