Beijing has issued a white paper on Hong Kong’s role in safeguarding national security under the “one country, two systems” principle, stressing that the city’s struggle on this front “is persistent” and a “long-term and enduring task”.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that the paper, published a day after former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was sentenced to 20 years in prison for national security crimes, served as a stern warning to “traitors who betrayed the country and Hong Kong”.
According to the five‑chapter document issued by the State Council, the central government bears the fundamental responsibility for Hong Kong’s national security affairs, while the city must also fulfil its constitutional duty in this regard.
“The struggle to safeguard national security in Hong Kong is persistent,” the paper said, with the 2019 anti-government protests representing the most severe challenge.
Titled “Hong Kong: Safeguarding China’s National Security Under the Framework of One Country, Two Systems”, the report is the third white paper on Hong Kong affairs published by Beijing since 2014.
The previous two outlined Beijing’s “comprehensive jurisdiction” over Hong Kong and set out its strategy to develop democracy in the city “in line with its realities”, while ensuring that “patriots” governed Hong Kong.
The paper also noted that the country was currently facing a complex environment and the struggle to safeguard national security remained challenging and fierce.
Beijing urged the city to continuously improve its legislation and systems for safeguarding national security, while stressing that the power to govern Hong Kong must be firmly held by patriots.
It added that the city should promptly study new developments and address emerging issues, while continuously optimising the systems and mechanisms for safeguarding national security and enhancing related capabilities.
It also warned against “soft resistance” disguised as freedom and rights.
“Attention must remain focused on ‘soft confrontation’ under the slogans of ‘democracy’, ‘freedom’ and ‘human rights’,” it said. “And the reverse flow of agitator activities from overseas to Hong Kong must be closely monitored.”
It stressed that security was not “an inhibition” but rather “a safeguard and a booster” that enabled Hong Kong to fulfil its role as an international financial bridge in the nation’s modernisation process.
“Safeguarding national security is a long-term and enduring task. The central government firmly supports [Hong Kong] in fully and faithfully implementing the policy of one country, two systems, shouldering its constitutional responsibility for safeguarding national security, and continuously strengthening its national security shield,” it said.
According to the paper, Hong Kong aims to develop “open security”, dynamically protecting national security within an open environment.
“Safeguarding national security in Hong Kong means safeguarding the security of global industrial, supply and capital chains, international economic and financial security, and the basic order of economic globalisation,” it said.
“Hong Kong remains resolute in both safeguarding national security and maintaining openness.”
While authorities have faced criticism for overgeneralising national security and creating chilling effects, the document said that it was not their intention and reaffirmed Hong Kong’s commitment to human rights.
“Hong Kong’s endeavours in safeguarding national security are not aimed at pursuing ‘absolute’ or ‘generalised’ security,” it said.
Lee described the white paper as being of utmost importance to Hong Kong, carrying both “guiding significance and key practical importance”.
“The struggle to safeguard national security in Hong Kong has never ceased. Risks to national security persist, and we must remain vigilant,” he added.
He also said Hong Kong should earnestly fulfil its duty to safeguard national security and achieve high-quality development with high-standard security.
The government will hold a seminar on the white paper, and Lee encouraged all sectors of society to conduct activities related to the report to deepen public awareness and foster a proper understanding of national security.
Lee reaffirmed that authorities would resolutely safeguard national security despite “smears” from other countries, when asked about the intense international scrutiny surrounding Lai’s sentence.
Beijing’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the white paper had “far-reaching significance” for implementing the one country, two systems framework, as it set out the central government’s guiding principles and systematically summarised lessons learned from the city’s efforts to safeguard national security.
It stressed that safeguarding national security was fundamental to defending one country, two systems and ultimately served the interests of the nation, Hong Kong, and its residents.
A spokesman for Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong described the paper as a “new starting point” for advancing national security efforts and strengthening legislation and enforcement with the central government’s support.
The Ministry of State Security said that Lai’s sentence showed Hong Kong’s “zero-tolerance” stance on national security crimes and upheld the rule of law.
It dismissed Western portrayals of Lai as a “democracy advocate”, calling them acts of hypocrisy and double standards that trampled on the rule of law and violated the principle of non-interference in internal affairs.
Lau Siu-kai, a consultant to the semi-official Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies think tank, said the paper had been completed some time ago but was released after Lai’s sentencing to avoid any perception of pressure on the court.
He noted that Lai’s sentencing marked the end of prolonged unrest in Hong Kong since its return to Chinese rule in 1997, making it an appropriate time to reflect and look ahead.
“The white paper stresses that the central government will not relax its efforts to safeguard national security,” Lau said, citing complex geopolitics and Western attempts to contain China.
Lau said Beijing expected Hong Kong to refine its national security legislation and enact new laws to address threats not yet covered by existing legal tools.
Emeritus Professor John Burns of the University of Hong Kong said the paper was primarily aimed at international critics and served as a “midterm review” of the authorities’ efforts to uphold national security.
He added that Beijing sought to reassure foreign investors by emphasising that the city would continue to maintain an open environment.
“They are trying to say that while protecting national security, [Hong Kong] is a bit different from the rest of China,” Burns said. ---- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
