Which is because i get them on, which is good value to you, your pm. Then also and he is far away from the Editorial Board of the like she did. And she got oh, as well as made out, which is a crossing point into this youve done border. Well, theres been International Criticism over a new rule from china. Thats all for opposition. Politicians and hong kong disqualified both the u. K. And u. S. Has said they would consider sanctions and the u. S. Has recorded its west daily death toll from covert. 1900, men and Health Experts are warning the pandemic is accelerating. Nearly 2000 more americans died on wednesday, taking the total number of fatalities to more than 241000 entries. Also, the 9th straight day that the number of new cases topped 100001. The search for bodies is underway off the libyan coast, off the 74 people drowned when it ship it broke down on its way to europe. The Un Migration Agency says the boat was carrying more than 120. 00 people, including women and children. But it left port fishermen help the libyan coast guard, bring survivors back to shore. And rival factions in libya have agreed to hold elections within 18 months. The u. N. Has hailed that deal as a breakthrough. Both sides signed a cease fire agreement last month in geneva. At least 8 peacekeepers are reported to have died after a Helicopter Crash in egypt. The black hawk aircraft went down over the sinai peninsula. It belonged to the Multinational Force of that. Those that monitored the 40 year old Peace Agreement between israel and egypt. That office work as a new zealands largest city has been added to statehood. And after a single case of corona virus was detected the individual lives next door to a hotel in oakland where people arriving from overseas being quarantined. Well, those are the headlines to join me for the news hour here on aljazeera off the inside story. The opposition has left the building. Hong kongs prodemocracy legislators resigned on mass to protest against the removal of folly schemed unpatriotic. So is this the, in a political dissent in the semi autonomous chinese territory . This is inside story. Hello and welcome to the program. A mass walkout is raising new concerns about democracy in hong kong. 15 opposition politicians stepped down after the dismissal of 4 colleagues considered a threat to chinas National Security. Beijing says the resignation is a farce. And a direct challenge to its authority over the former british colony. The u. K. Is accusing china of breaking its promise to preserve the citys autonomy. Hong kongs legislature has effectively been left with no political opposition, as adrian brown reports. Hong kongs Legislative Assembly was quieter than usual on thursday. Now that almost a quarter of its lawmakers have resigned or been disqualified and staging whats likely to be their last protest. The chinese characters say hong kongs leader carrie lamb has pulled calamity to the territory and its people shell stink for, 10000 years. The slogan was displayed by democratic lawmaker lambchop t. , who must now give up his office. By the end of the month, i will keep fighting for democracy of hong kong, their version of enda and hand together with all the hong kong people and the Civil Society to face against the dictatorship. This is what chinas leaders want to stamp out. Lawmakers behaving badly with those from the democratic camp accused of being the main culprits. Chinas government has condemned the mass resignation of almost all hong kongs opposition as a farce with only themselves to blame for their downfall. Says a soul. Hong kong delegate to chinas most powerful political body, eats only a little the year. What china has been doing is based on the constitution and basic law, therefore everything should be done in accordance with the law. We cannot bad mouth one country 2 systems and the Chinese Government analysts say hong kongs legislature is set to become little more than a rubber stamp parliament, but dissent outside the chamber will likely continue. What does this mean . This means continuing instability. You can push it down with the police, you can push it down with the rest. But it will just it really. It is not clear what this means for elections supposed to have been held 2 months ago, but now pushed back until september next year. Because of coded 19 on thursday, chinese officials here in hong kong warned that legislators who resign or have been disqualified, should not be eligible to stand in that poll. Wednesday shake up of Parliament Comes just 4 months of the chinas government imposed a sweeping National Security law on the territory that some critics call draconian. And in spite of continuing International Criticism, chinas leadership remains both confident and defiant. Adrian brown, aljazeera, hong kong. All right, lets bring in our guests from hong kong. We have emily lau, former chairwoman of the Democratic Party of hong kong. Gordon chang is an author and conservative columnist he joins us from new jersey. Also joining us from hong kong is stephen vines, a journalist, and author of several books on the relationship between hong kong and china. Welcome to each of you, emily. Let me start with you today. How much is all of this going to reshape hong kongs Political Landscape . Well, i guess very much, and some of the people that ive spoken to or saying that things are going to get a lot more worse. And so i think we have to really fasten our seat belt because it seems beijing and the administration of kerry lamb just they dont just give a damn about Public Opinion here or internationally. And theyre hell bent on cracking down on dissent. Now, depend, democrats have left the Legislative Council because we have a pandemic and social distancing loose people cannot turn out to march in huge numbers. So there is a lot of pent up feeling of anger and frustration and concern. And i think i think things things are going to get worse. So. 6 were ready and dont think that we have seen that. Ill know we are ready and we will continue with the struggle. But things could turn nasty. Stephen, how much does all this damage or damage further . Hong kongs reputation in the world as, as an open city, as a, as a bastion of for freedom of speech and the rule of law. Well, this is part of the process. I mean, weve had the National Security law. Excuse me, weve had teachers weave books, pantalone cetera, et cetera. And hong kong lives and dies by its reputation as place where there is rule of law where there is predictability. And there was quite a degree of freedom of speech. Once that disappears or is eroded, hong kong becomes a much lesser legs. It certainly does not become the ideal place to locate International Businesses or indeed to become a Tree International center. So its quite serious. I think thats putting it mildly in terms of consequences. Gordon, the United States has said that china flagrantly violated hong kongs autonomy after the ousting of these lawmakers. The u. S. Is now also warning of further sanctions against china. The relationship between the 2 countries has been at a low point for a while now. How much more does this strain that relationship . I think this could strain the relationship substantially, especially if the trumpet ministrations starts to designate more individuals under the hong kong autonomy act and the hong kong human rights and democracy act. Also, you know, it could designate significant for instance, because he is undermining hong kong autonomy. And indeed if the u. S. Imposes the banking sanctions that could just sever the relationship between the United States and china. Emily, i just want to ask you to expand a little bit more on on your previous answer. I mean, with regard to the new resolution passed by beijing, how much easier now, does it become to quassia dissent in hong kong . Well, i think to quash dissent among politicians, elected politician is very easy. And now of course, they have all left the council and some are predicting that none of them would be allowed to stand as candidates again and also carry lem postpone the Legislative Council election meant for september this year. To september, the ixia. All maybe even beyond that, we dont know where the election will be held. So i think many people are very pessimistic. Thinking that it will be very difficult if not impossible, to get back into the legislature. And also de, i thinking that beijing may also crack down on the local levels, the District Councils, because of the huge victory in the election last november, and many be dominated by the pen democrats. So theyre best concerned that they may even try to us. The elected District Council is as well. So it is very, very alarming. And thats why i said britain, which is the former colonial power and our friends in the International Community. We, they will all speak out whether of course, people say, oh, what the hell im in the next state laws or they do other things that will not change or see jim pain. But still, i think its much better. But the International Community to, to speak out for us and to have no life at all. Stephen, there are many who are calling this effectively the end of the one country 2 systems in hong kong. Do you believe that is the case now . And if so, what happens Going Forward . Well, i think when you have diminished folks coming to the extent that elected officials in hong kong can be dismissed in beijing. When youve diminished or start where the chief executive has to even go to beijing for instructions on how to conduct the Economic Policy of tongue of the level of autonomy thats left to the Hong Kong Government is very small indeed, but i think there is a very important proviso, i mean homecoming is coming to move very different place from the rest of the main that there is still, im speaking from congo. There is still a degree of liberty and uncle when there is on the main. It certainly is being eroded, but i mean the differences between the 2 entities which were supposed to be kept under the one country 2 systems principle is being eroded this case which is breathtaking, but there is still a difference to some extent. Gordon, from your perspective, where does the u. S. China relationship go in a Joe Biden Administration and do you believe things are poised to improve or will they continue to deteriorate . I think that certainly every new occupant in the white house gives china a grace period to try to develop cooperative relations. You know, every new president thinks that they can do better than the previous one. So there will be a period where the Biden Administration will try to cozy up to beijing. I dont actually think that it will work. You know, theres a fundamental difference. Chinas regime is committing crimes against humanity. Its stealing hundreds of billions of dollars of u. S. Intellectual property. Its challenging the u. S. And the Global Commons is attacking its neighbors. This is just not a relationship thats going to work, and indeed it should get worse, because we should not be tolerating chinas unacceptable behavior. Emily, you know, when it comes to these resignations, there are some analysts who say that mask or mass resignations actually removed democracy activists access to the Legislative Council. There are other analysts who say that had the opposition lawmakers stayed. They would have been perceived as lending legitimacy. To beijings new resolution and the dismissal of the 4 lawmakers. Did each of these paths have their own difficulties . Well, yes, of course. And there are people in hong kong with very different views. Even people who support the prodemocracy camp. And so it is a controversial decision, but if you look at the way things have developed, even if they 15 decided not to leave, i think they may be kicked out. Could be kicked out quite soon because they will continue to filibuster. Because they want to delay the process so that these terrible legislation on giving the right to vote to People Living in the greater bay area or this big reclamation of lentil island. They want to stop those things. Thats why they are filibustering. And also because the administration would not have dialogue with them. So if they continue with that behavior, even if they stayed on, im sure the administration and the probe, aging legislature will kick them out. So. So it is, i dont think they have much alternatives. And so i think that thing about it is theres a lot of disagreement and the way forward is to have engagement, to have dialogue, but see him paying and the beijing regime just feel that no, were not talk to these people. And these people try to react like this, and they say ok, we just kill you. Ted. Thank you out. Steve in the Legislative Council will be left now with only probe aging politicians. What does that mean Going Forward . Is it just going to make it much easier for lawmakers to be able to pass laws that are favored by beijing . Oh yes, i mean obviously that is so, and i would just add suit. So what emily has just said, i mean all this filibustering what have you would have delayed legislation going through, but there is the way the system has been built. There is an inbuilt majority for the production of care in the legislature. I dont actually think this is all about improving if you like the work of the legislature. I think this is about deal it just surmising any form of opposition and i think thats the Crucial Point here. Total intolerance, i mean, emily has just said theres no doubt that with the democrats, which is absolutely true, but it goes further than you know it, beijing is now saying you cant demonstrate on the streets. You cant take part in elections. If you write things in a newspaper, we dont like you will be arrested if its much more widespread. This is part of that process, very important parts of the process. But its part of the much bigger process of saying opposition in hong kong is no longer, really. It is no longer legal. Gordon, any guesses as to what we might see from Donald Trumps administration toward china until joe biden gets sworn in as president . Thats a great question and i think that will see, you know, the trump of ministration. Continuing the policies of the last year and a half. And really he should do that, you know, largely because china has been attacking representative governance in hong kong and snuffed it out. And so i think beijing now feels emboldened is going to go after the u. S. Even harder than it has in the past. Because you got to remember that over the course of the election, chinas been attacking not only donald trump, but its also been attacking the form of americas representative governments. So theyve been attacking our democracy and now they feel they probably got more opportunity to do so. So, you know, i would think that both trump and President Biden are going to defend the american republic, and that means were going to see as you point out more friction. Emily, there is, of course, a growing generational divide between the older and younger members of the prodemocracy movement. There has been a tension between those generations thats been building for some time now. Is it possible to bridge that gap and if so, how is that done . Wealth course, were willing, i mean, when the democratic, willing to talk to people or egypt. So its not a question of us shunning ben and for those who dont want to talk to us, we cannot force them. And of course, my party does not support independence. And we do do not support a using violence to struggle but, but were willing to talk to them. And let me tell you at the beginning of next month, its my potties annual general meeting. And we will have elect, new leadership. And some of our very young members fighting to be elected as chair and vice chair of the party. So its good let these young people come forward. Maybe they can talk to the other young people better. And i have many mentees. I know a lot of young people, so i, well, i dont know, i mean, you seem to have the impression that it is a very, very big tick bite. But we talk to each other all the time. But sometimes they like to criticise us. And some of them like to replace us, which is of course ok, democracy is about competition. So if youre better than us will fade away. Stephen, let me, let me ask you the same question. Let me ask you about that divide between the younger members and the older members of the prodemocracy movement that generational gap can that be bridged. This is a very interesting topic, and there was a lot of impatience, particularly back last year at the beginning of the movement as a box of the younger demonstrators who thought that additional democrats that, you know, not just been not up to power. But what has happened, and i think this is happened much more recently, is there now all sharing a common fates . The front line protesters who were arrested last year during the height of the demonstrations. And now being joined in full, by the traditional, if you like, hold the democrats, theyre all in the same boat net. So that the, this divide and it was a divide to some extent, has been narrowed by the actions of the Hong Kong Government and its masters in beijing. They are putting everybody in the same camp now. And i dont think that theres a very big hasnt between the 2 groups,