January 25, 2021 8:12 AMIt was the freezing of bank accounts that changed Dan's mind. : The Hongkonger, a finance worker in his early 50s, watched China tighten its grip on the city over the past few years with growing nervousness. Yet as a self-described apolitical person - he hadn't attended any of the protests that hit the city in 2019, for example - he wasn't really worried about being personally affected. Then last month, banks including British lender HSBC Holdings froze the account of former lawmaker Ted Hui after he went into exile in the UK with his family.