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The so-called Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, an anti-China organization generally known as the Hong Kong Alliance that has been engaged in trouble-making activities in Hong Kong for more than 30 years, announced it will disband according to the vote result of a meeting held on Saturday. 

Observers said the long-awaited collapse of the alliance, the most symbolic and long-lasting openly anti-China union, marks a great significance in eradicating the well-organized anti-China forces in Hong Kong and promoting further stability of the city. However, the members cannot evade their legal responsibility and supervision of the National Security Law for Hong Kong even after its disbandment. 

The alliance held a special general meeting to vote on disbandment Saturday afternoon and passed the motion of dissolution by 41 votes to four, with no abstentions, reported Hong Kong media. The organization previously said that it would enter liquidation immediately if it was approved by three quarters of the members present. 

A spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said in a statement on Saturday that the alliance's dissolution is inevitable and the office firmly supports the Hong Kong SAR government in continuing their investigation into the alleged illegal activities of the alliance in accordance with the law.

The spokesman said the alliance had proposed a subversion of state power since its founding and has been inciting people's hostility and even hatred toward the central government by spreading rumors and organizing illegal assemblies. The organization has also colluded with external forces and instigated a "color revolution" in the city. It is clear that what the alliance has done has seriously jeopardized national security.

The alliance's disbandment, following the dissolution of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union, indicated that such well-organized, open anti-China organizations have "basically disappeared" in Hong Kong, Lawrence Tang Fei, a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Saturday. 

As the most active and long-term anti-China organization in Hong Kong, the alliance finally came to an end, leaving a serious lesson for other groups opposing China and messing up Hong Kong, if there is any left. Such remaining groups will most likely shift to underground, which might lead to their association with US-led foreign forces to get financial or technical support, he said. 

The alliance's disbandment came after a local radical student organization, "Student Politicism," announced its disbandment on social media on Friday. The "convenor" of the "Student Politicism", Wong Yat-chin, and the secretary general of the group, Chan Chi-sum, were detained by national security police officers on Monday.  

The disbandment of the alliance and "Student Politicism" has a similar intention; that is, to evade their legal responsibilities and supervision of the National Security Law for Hong Kong by initially making the move to disband by themselves, Tian Feilong, an associate professor at Beihang University and a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, told the Global Times on Saturday. 

Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said on Saturday prior to the announcement of the vote result that the dissolution of the Hong Kong Alliance will not exempt it from legal liability if it has committed illegal acts, reported Hong Kong media.  

Hong Kong police previously requested related information from the alliance as part of the decision to revoke the group's company registration, based on clear reasons which believe the Hong Kong Alliance is a foreign agent, quoting Article 43 of the National Security Law for Hong Kong.  However, the alliance has been refusing to perform its legal obligations, using all kinds of excuses. 

The decision to dissolve the alliance and the proposal to revoke its company registration are two different things, which can be carried out simultaneously, said the secretary for security.

Tang Fei noted that the SAR government needs to make it clear to the alliance members and also Hong Kong society that the disbandment of the alliance doesn't mean that the members will not take legal responsibility, nor that legal investigation into the group's illegal activities will end.

He also reminded the authorities to be alert for those who oppose the disbandment, and vigilant about any illegal actions they might have next. 

Three chairs of the Alliance, Chairperson Lee Cheuk-yan and Vice-chairs Albert Ho Chun-yan and Tonyee Chow Hang-tung were charged with incitement to subvert state power. 

In a previous joint open letter, Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho Chun-yan called on member groups to support it voluntary disbandment. However, Chow Hang-tung posted letters on social media urging members to oppose the dissolution motion and give the Alliance "a chance to continue."

The disbandment of the alliance gives an important lesson to the young generation of anti-China organizations, which might prompt them to go underground. They will have to get more technical support if they want to survive; therefore, the Hong Kong police need to look closely at whether US-led Western countries would secretly offer support to these underground anti-China groups, said Tang Fei. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry on Friday issued a fact sheet on the US' interference in Hong Kong affairs since 2019 and how the US supports anti-China forces in Hong Kong SAR.