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Hong Kong national security law
OpinionLetters

Letters | China’s national security law for Hong Kong is a test of trust on either side

  • Every nation needs a national security law for the protection of its people and its own sovereignty
  • Hong Kong has an independent judiciary and a vocal press to guard its core values of the rule of law, and freedom of speech and assembly

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Protesters turn on the flashlight of their mobile phones as they mark the first anniversary of the anti-government movement and show their opposition to the incoming national security law for Hong Kong, at Yuen Long MTR station on June 12. Photo: Edmond So
Letters

In 2003, the Hong Kong government tried to enact a national security law under Article 23 of the Basic Law. That proposal was abandoned following mass protests.

Sixteen years later, peaceful protests over an extradition law in Hong Kong turned violent. There is no telling when this chaos will end.

Meanwhile, violent protests remain exceptionally well-coordinated and funded with an alleged international element. The anti-government protests have morphed into a broader anti-China movement.

At this juncture, it is unrealistic for the Hong Kong government to enact the national security law on its own, but every nation needs such a law for the protection of its people and its sovereignty. The US, UK and other European countries are no exception.

The central government has stepped in by promulgating legislation applicable to Hong Kong that would criminalise any act of secession, subversion of state power, organising and committing terrorism, and collusion with foreign and external forces to endanger national security .

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A year of anti-government protests in Hong Kong

A year of anti-government protests in Hong Kong

There are worries that the term “national security” is so vague that it lends itself to wide interpretations to silence activists and clamp down on dissidents. This argument has some force, since a law should be defined with sufficient precision to enable citizens to know how to behave in accordance with the law.

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