China’s parliament, the National People’s Congress, on Thursday approved the proposal to impose a new national security law for Hong Kong, and paves the way for the legislation to be finalized and implemented in the city. The NPC voted 2,878 to 1 in favor of the bill, which will pave the way for its Standing Committee — a smaller decision-making body — to proceed to working out details of the legislation to be implemented in Hong Kong. Six abstained from the vote. Premier Li Keqiang, the country’s second-in-command, said after the vote that the decision to implement the law was “designed for steady implementation of ... (full story)