Hong Kong's new chief justice has vowed to uphold the city's judicial independence. Can he?

Hong Kong's courts are the one branch of government which retain some degree of autonomy, but one which may be sorely tested by the blunt instrument of Beijing's new security law.

Sat in the city's Court of Final Appeal, wearing a black robe, ruffed white collar and white face mask, Chief Justice Andrew Cheung acknowledged the strangeness of the circumstances as he addressed a small audience of judicial officials and others watching online. "The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a great toll everywhere," Cheung said. "The judiciary and its operations have also been affected, and thanks must be extended to our judiciary staff who have worked so hard in such difficult circumstances to keep the courts functioning."