On 30 June 2020, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) passed The Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) (the National Security Law) and listed the legislation in Annex III of the Basic Law in accordance with Article 18 of the Basic Law after consulting the NPCSC’s Committee for the Basic Law of the HKSAR and the HKSAR Government. The National Security Law started to be applied in Hong Kong by way of promulgation by the HKSAR Government on the same day.
The HKSAR is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China and a local administrative region which enjoys a high degree of autonomy and comes directly under the Central People’s Government. Safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is the constitutional duty of the HKSAR. In view of the increasingly pronounced national security risks faced by the HKSAR, the national security law was enacted at the state level by the Central Authorities in order to plug the loophole in national security in Hong Kong.
The legislation is an important step to improve the “One Country, Two Systems” institutional system. “One Country, Two Systems” upholds national unity and territorial integrity, and maintains the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. The enactment of the National Security Law for Hong Kong at the national level will safeguard our nation’s sovereignty, security and development, and in turn further strengthen the “One Country, Two Systems” and broaden the scope for development. In this light, the National Security Law is the key to ensure that the ship of “One Country, Two Systems” will sail far and steady, and will lay the essential foundation for the HKSAR’s further developments, and the long-term stability, security and prosperity of Hong Kong.
I would like to draw colleagues’ attention to the fact that the National Security Law seeks to practically and effectively prevent, curb and punish four types of crimes seriously endangering national security, namely acts of secession, subversion of state power, organising and carrying out terrorist activities, and collusion with foreign or external forces to endanger national security. It only targets an extremely small minority of offenders while the life and property as well as various legitimate basic rights and freedoms enjoyed by the overwhelming majority of citizens will be protected. The HKSAR Government has compiled a booklet (www.isd.gov.hk/nationalsecurity/eng/pdf/NSL_QnA_Book.pdf) to introduce the background to the enactment of the National Security Law, outline the main content and answer some common questions in respect of the Law. The full text of the National Security Law and the relevant press releases have been uploaded to the dedicated government website on safeguarding national security (www.isd.gov.hk/nationalsecurity/eng/). Colleagues may access the said website through the dedicated webpage on safeguarding national security set up earlier in our web-based learning portal - Cyber Learning Centre Plus or the specific link on our Civil Service Bureau website (www.csb.gov.hk/english/index.html) for more details.
As said by the Chief Executive, the National Security Law is the turning point for Hong Kong to find a way out of the impasse and restore order from chaos. The HKSAR Government has the major responsibility in the implementation of the National Security Law, and will spare no effort in fulfilling it. Civil servants are the backbone of the HKSAR Government. I expect that all of us will be committed to our duties and stand united to fully cooperate with the HKSAR Government in discharging its duty to safeguard national security. I also look forward to the entire civil service to staunchly support the Chief Executive and the HKSAR Government in the administration of Hong Kong and keep working vigorously for the future developments of Hong Kong with a view to ensuring prosperity and stability for the people.