China's parliament approves Hong Kong national security bill

China's parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly approved directly imposing national security legislation on Hong Kong to tackle secession, subversion, terrorism, and foreign interference in a city roiled last year by months of anti-government protests.

The National People's Congress voted 2,878 to 1 in favor of the decision to empower its standing committee to draft the legislation, with six abstentions.

The legislators gathered in the Great Hall of the People burst into sustained applause when the vote tally was projected onto screens.

The draft national security law has received international criticism with the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declaring that Hong Kong is "no longer autonomous." Hong Kong, which has freedoms not granted in the mainland such as freedom of assembly and freedom of the press, has experienced months-long anti-government protests which sparked from a now-withdrawn extradition bill.