Hong Kong national security law milestone in advancing China’s "one country, two systems": official

The law on safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) marks a milestone in advancing the cause of "one country, two systems," an official said Wednesday.

The law is designed to ensure the full and faithful implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle and will strengthen institutional safeguards against national security risks in Hong Kong, said Zhang Xiaoming, deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, at a press conference in Beijing.

The law will have a far-reaching impact on ensuring the steady and sustained implementation of "one country, two systems," Zhang said.

Noting the law is a landmark for refining the central authorities' policy in relation to the governance of Hong Kong, he added that it also demonstrates that the central authorities attach greater importance to the top-level design of the system for the governance of Hong Kong and on the rule of law.

Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday voted to adopt the 66-article law and later passed a decision to list the law in Annex III to the HKSAR Basic Law.

The law on safeguarding national security in HKSAR came into force in Hong Kong at 11 pm local time on Tuesday upon its promulgation by the HKSAR government in the gazette.

The Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) shows the central government's commitment to "one country, two systems" and high trust in the HKSAR, HKSAR Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Wednesday.

The enactment of the law at the state level shows that the central government is determined to restore stability in Hong Kong after escalating violence and riots since last June, and to protect the vast majority of law-abiding Hong Kong residents from the minority who attempt to undermine national security, Lam said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

It also shows that the central government is determined to preserve and better "one country, two systems", a principle underlying Hong Kong's stability and prosperity since the HKSAR was established 23 years ago, she said.

The central government's high trust in Hong Kong is reflected as the law stipulates that the HKSAR bears the primary responsibility of implementing this national law in Hong Kong, Lam pointed out.

The HKSAR government will do its utmost to fulfill the responsibility of implementing the law in Hong Kong to ensure that the law's legislative objectives are achieved and the continued success of "one country, two systems" and the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong are guaranteed.