Global Courant
The move follows Beijing’s initiative to impose a national security law following the massive pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Hong Kong’s leader John Lee has said the Chinese territory will introduce its own national security law in 2024, four years after Beijing imposed sweeping legislation that critics say has “decimated” freedoms.
The Chinese law was introduced after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in protests that started over an extradition bill with the mainland and evolved into demands for greater democracy and political freedom that sometimes turned violent.
Beijing’s broadly worded law bypassed local legislatures and made acts deemed secession, subversion, “terrorism” and collusion with foreign forces punishable by life imprisonment.
During his second annual policy address, Lee said some countries are still trying to undermine Hong Kong.
He didn’t go into details.
“We must guard against those who attempt to provoke conflict, provide misinformation or spread rumors through various channels, and remain alert to acts of “soft resistance” in various forms that threaten the administration of our country and the HKSAR (Special Administrative Hong Kong region). ,” he said.
Lee, a former top police officer who served as security chief during the 2019 protests, added that the government is “continuing” with effective legislative options on security and will “complete the legislative exercise in 2024 to fulfill our constitutional duty.”
Under the Basic Law – the city’s mini-constitution – Hong Kong was required to create its own law, known as Article 23, to combat seven security-related crimes, including treason and espionage.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee delivers his annual policy speech to the Legislative Council in Hong Kong (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)
However, successive governments failed to implement the law. The last attempt was abandoned in 2003, after half a million Hong Kong residents took to the streets in protest.
Beijing’s security law has all but eradicated criticism: pro-democracy politicians and activists have gone into exile, and civil society groups and critical media have been shut down.
According to the Hong Kong Security Bureau, 280 people had been arrested and 30 convicted under the law by the end of September.
Since 2019, Hong Kong’s political system has also been overhauled with new rules aimed at ensuring that only “patriots” can run for office, requiring candidates to be “vetted” before being allowed to run.
A “national security education day” has also been introduced, with children as young as six taught the “grave importance” of the legislation that its supporters say has restored “order” to the city.
Lee said patriotic education would be further developed “to strengthen national identity”.
A working group would be established to “advance national education and align with the Patriotic Education Law of the People’s Republic of China.”
His announcement comes a day after Beijing passed a law to strengthen patriotic education for children and families, Chinese state media said.
Hong Kong was promised a high degree of autonomy upon its return to Chinese rule in 1997 and the continuation of its way of life for at least 50 years.
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