John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), on Monday required more efforts to safeguard national security, and to leverage Hong Kongs strengths.Lee made the appeal in a signed short article published on numerous regional media on Monday, which marked the fifth anniversary of the promulgation and execution of the nationwide security law in Hong Kong.Over the previous five years because the laws implementation, on June 30, 2020, facts have actually proven that Hong Kong society has remained stable and thriving, and the normal lives and advancement chances of residents well protected, he said.Lee included that international credit ranking agencies have given Hong Kong positive evaluations.Hong Kong continues to rank as the worlds freest economy, holds the third position internationally as an international monetary center and in overall competitiveness, and has re-entered the global leading 10 in skill competitiveness, he noted in the article.With five universities ranked among the worlds leading 100, Hong Kong is now the city with the highest number of top 100 universities worldwide, he said.Market expectations likewise recommend that Hong Kong is poised to become the worlds largest wealth management center in a couple of years, with a bright and appealing future ahead, Lee added.Given that the world is undergoing extensive modifications hidden in a century and confronted with increasing uncertainties, he contacted the HKSAR to be directed by the holistic view of national security.Security is the structure of advancement, and advancement is the secure of security, he said, including that the HKSAR government stays steadfast in both securing national security and promoting economic development.The Law of the Peoples Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was passed all at the 20th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th National Peoples Congress, Chinas top legislature, on June 30, 2020.
With 66 short articles in six chapters, the law clearly specifies the duties and government bodies of the HKSAR for protecting national security and four categories of offenses –-- secession, subversion, terrorist activities, and collusion with a foreign nation or external aspects to endanger nationwide security –-- and their matching penalties.A model of upholding One Country, Two SystemsExperts have lauded the Hong Kong national security law as a model of upholding the One Country, Two Systems policy and guaranteeing the citys long-term prosperity and stability, 5 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, stated that the national security law has actually not reduced Hong Kongs liberties; on the contrary, it has produced a safer environment for homeowners to enjoy their rights.Having lived in Hong Kong for almost 50 years, British lawyer Grenville Cross, formerly director of public prosecutions of the HKSAR, remembered that in 2019 black-clad mobs had actually brought trouble to the streets, ruining public facilities, assaulting banks and private companies, firebombing authorities and their households, and attacking just about anybody who had objected to their harmful actions.
The enactment of the national security law conserved the day, and Hong Kongs various institutions have actually all because played their part in getting things back on track, Cross stated at the symposium.He noted that in the execution of this law, Hong Kong courts have actually always respected the rights of criminal suspects.
Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that the nationwide security law is human rights heavy.
Ong Tee Keat, the previous deputy speaker of Malaysias lower home of parliament and chairman of Malaysia-based think tank the Center for New Inclusive Asia, said it is exactly the dividend of stability arising from this legislation that Hong Kong has actually leveraged to charm investors from around the world.The success of striking the best balance between national security and social governance in Hong Kong without harming its financial 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 nations to stop their interfering in the domestic statecraft of other country states and refrain from long-arm jurisdiction, as it is not their due to enforce their impulses and fancies on others in this emerging multipolar world, he said.(With input from Xinhua)