Hong Kong on Wednesday (July 1) held a flag raising ceremony to mark the 23rd anniversary of the former British colony's handover to Chinese rule, hours after new national security legislation took effect in the financial hub.<br /><br />The contentious law will punish crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, heralding a more authoritarian era for China's freest city.<br /><br />WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news<br />SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar<br />LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
