China's parliament has passed a draft law that criminalizes acts deemed insulting to the national anthem, even if committed in the territories of Hong Kong and Macao, according to a legal affairs official.
The National Anthem Law was passed Friday by the National People's Congress Standing Committee with 146 votes in support and one in abstention, according to Wu Zheng, head of the state law office of the Legislative Affairs Commission.
"The National Anthem Law, according to the Basic Laws in Hong Kong and Macao, is a national law to be implemented in the two special administrative regions," Wu said in a news briefing in Beijing following a NPCSC meeting.