China Cracks Down on Hong Kong

June 16th, 2025

Finian Knepper

Over the past week, China has ramped up their control and crackdown on Hong Kong (referred to as “China’s rebel city” by Vox.) The crackdown targeted multiple sectors, including video games, activists, and civil rights groups.

The crackdown began when authorities moved to suppress a mobile game titled Reversed Front: Bonfire, developed in Taiwan, which they accused of promoting secessionist themes. The game, which portrays a fictional uprising against a totalitarian regime, was banned across Hong Kong under national security grounds. Police warned the public that playing, downloading, or distributing the game could be a criminal offense.

The crackdown continued when the prominent pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong, already imprisoned since 2020, was hit with an additional charge of conspiring with foreign forces. Prosecutors say Joshua Wong encouraged foreign governments to impose sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials during the 2019 protest movement. The new charge carries a potential life sentence.

In a further sign of shrinking civil space, the China Labour Bulletin—an organization that had advocated for workers’ rights in the region for over three decades—announced its closure this week. Citing financial pressure and legal uncertainty under the Chinese government, the group said it could no longer operate safely in Hong Kong.

The events are a sign of China’s increasingly expansive interpretation of “national security,” which has allowed them to extend crackdowns beyond overt political activism to encompass civil organizations and even cultural expression. Critics say China’s repression discourages free speech, independent journalism, and public dissent.

As China increases its crackdown on Hong Kong, it appears that China’s “one country, two systems” model isn’t working as intended, leading to more and more crackdowns and restrictions, as China continues to reign in its own Rebel City.