John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), on Monday called for more efforts to safeguard national security, and to leverage Hong Kong’s strengths.
Lee made the appeal in a signed article published on multiple local media on Monday, which marked the fifth anniversary of the promulgation and implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong.
Over the past five years since the law’s implementation, on June 30, 2020, facts have proven that Hong Kong society has remained stable and prosperous, and the normal lives and development opportunities of residents well protected, he said.
Lee added that international credit rating agencies have given Hong Kong positive evaluations.
Hong Kong continues to rank as the world’s freest economy, holds the third position globally as an international financial center and in overall competitiveness, and has re-entered the global top ten in talent competitiveness, he listed in the article.
With five universities ranked among the world’s top 100, Hong Kong is now the city with the highest number of top 100 universities globally, he said.
Market expectations also suggest that Hong Kong is poised to become the world’s largest wealth management center in a few years, with a bright and promising future ahead, Lee added.
Given that the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century and faced with increasing uncertainties, he called on the HKSAR to be guided by the holistic view of national security.
Security is the foundation of development, and development is the safeguard of security, he said, adding that the HKSAR government remains steadfast in both safeguarding national security and promoting economic development.
The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was passed unanimously at the 20th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, on June 30, 2020.
With 66 articles in six chapters, the law clearly defines the duties and government bodies of the HKSAR for safeguarding national security and four categories of offenses – secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign country or external elements to endanger national security – and their corresponding penalties.
A model of upholding ‘One Country, Two Systems’
Experts have lauded the Hong Kong national security law as a model of upholding the “One Country, Two Systems” policy and ensuring the city’s long-term prosperity and stability, five years after its enactment.
Speaking at an academic symposium in early June, Liu Huawen, deputy director of the Institute of International Law at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the national security law has not diminished Hong Kong’s freedoms; on the contrary, it has created a safer environment for residents to enjoy their rights.
Having lived in Hong Kong for nearly 50 years, British barrister Grenville Cross, previously director of public prosecutions of the HKSAR, recalled that in 2019 black-clad mobs had brought mayhem to the streets, destroying public facilities, attacking banks and private businesses, firebombing police and their families, and attacking just about anybody who had objected to their destructive actions.
“The enactment of the national security law saved the day, and Hong Kong’s various institutions have all since played their part in getting things back on track,” Cross said at the symposium.
He noted that in the implementation of this law, Hong Kong courts have always respected the rights of criminal suspects. “Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that the national security law is human rights heavy.”
Ong Tee Keat, the former deputy speaker of Malaysia’s lower house of parliament and chairman of Malaysia-based think tank the Center for New Inclusive Asia, said it is precisely the dividend of stability resulting from this legislation that Hong Kong has leveraged to woo investors from around the world.
The success of striking the right balance between national security and social governance in Hong Kong without hurting its economic competitiveness is a clear manifestation of maturity, confidence and astuteness of governance under the framework of “One Country, Two Systems,” he said.
It is time for some Western countries to stop their interfering in the domestic statecraft of other nation states and refrain from long-arm jurisdiction, as it is not their birthright to impose their whims and fancies on others in this emerging multipolar world, he said.
