Hong Kong security law: China backs city’s status as financial hub as it brushes aside G7 concerns
- Interests of foreign investors will be protected in Hong Kong, says Vice-Premier Liu He
- Statement comes as China’s legislature pushes ahead with national security law despite G7 objections
China on Thursday moved to allay investor concerns about the impact of a new national security law on Hong Kong’s status as a financial hub, the same day the national legislature pushed ahead with a review of the bill in the face of G7 concerns.
Vice-Premier Liu He, the top economic aide to President Xi Jinping, said that Beijing “will adhere to the policy of ‘one country, two systems’, and give support to Hong Kong as it plays the role of an international financial centre”.
“We will ensure that the interests of foreign investors in Hong Kong will be protected and Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity can be achieved,” Liu, who is in charge of China’s financial industry, told the Lujiazui Forum in Shanghai.
The comments, which were read out by China Securities Regulatory Commission chairman Yi Huiman, come amid growing confrontation between China and the US-led Western world over the controversial national security law, which has caused jitters in some parts of the financial sector.
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Hong Kong’s national security law is like ‘anti-virus software’, top Beijing official says
The National People’s Congress Standing Committee announced just a few hours after the speech that it will begin reviewing a draft of the Hong Kong national security law on Thursday.
