As China’s central government pushes aggressively ahead with a new national security law for Hong Kong, experts say that a special meeting could be called by the country’s top legislative body to put the anti-sedition legislation into effect by as early as the end of this month.

The proposal for the legislation, which many fear could curtail the freedoms of those who oppose China’s communist party, was approved by the National People’s Congress last month.

Although Beijing has not announced the timeline for the new security legislation, many experts expect it to be passed by the end of this month instead of August, as previously predicted.

According to the state-run Xinhua News, the NPC Standing Committee will next convene in Beijing on June 18-20. Although Hong Kong’s national security law did not appear on the agenda for the upcoming session, political commentator Johnny Lau told Apple Daily that Hong Kongers should not take this as a sign that the central government had reversed its decision, adding that recent rhetoric of Liaison Office Director Luo Huining and Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, showed that Beijing remained resolute about passing the legislation.

Another source close to the matter told HK01 that the central government is likely to take extraordinary measures in handling the law, adding that there was a chance the NPC would hold two sessions this month to give the appearance that it was listening to the opinions of Hong Kong citizens and also to fast-track the decision-making process.

The source told HK01 that, while the security law appeared to be omitted from the agenda, it was likely to be raised as one of the “other discussion points” during the session to instruct relevant government departments to start collating feedback on the legislation so that a formal plan could be put forward at the next meeting of the NPC for review and implementation. The source also said that there is a ‘high chance” that a second meeting would occur this month on the 26th and 27th or the 29th and 30th, adding that two days would be more than sufficient to review the law.

In the past, it has been rare for the NPC to hold two sessions in one month, but the source said that the central government might make such an unorthodox move in its handling of Hong Kong’s national security law.

Lau pointed out that any so-called consultations being conducted by the Chinese communist party were illusions to build up favorable public opinion. He said that this was a common tactic for the CPC to use lawful processes to hide unconstitutional policies, adding that if Beijing had been concerned about the criticism it received, including from foreign governments, it would not have proposed the law in the first place.

Although uncommon, Lau said the NPC could convene an emergency or special meeting if a petition is signed by the absolute majority of the Standing Committee. In 1989, Standing Committee member Hu Jiwei attempted but failed to call a special session to find a peaceful resolution to the tensions that ultimately led to the bloody crackdown in Tiananmen Square.

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