Article 23 reaction: US and Britain criticise ‘incredibly vague’ new Hong Kong national security law

Washington and London stop short of declaring immediate countermeasures to ordinance covering 39 offences and using terms like ‘external interference’

Bill had been shelved for more than two decades because of initial public opposition

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Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu speaks after Article 23, the city’s national security bill, won legislative passage in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 6:20am, 20 Mar 2024

The US and British governments on Tuesday criticised Hong Kong for its passage of a new domestic national security law, claiming the measure was rushed and that vague language in its provisions created uncertainty for some of the city’s residents.

While they stopped short of announcing any immediate countermeasures, the US State Department said it was “analysing” the law to understand what risks were involved for American citizens and Britain suggested it might put diplomats on shaky ground.

Hong Kong lawmakers unanimously passed Hong Kong’s domestic national security law just hours earlier, at the end of a marathon session, in which they fast-tracked the constitutionally mandated legislation.

The bill had been shelved for more than two decades because of initial public opposition.

The new Safeguarding National Security Ordinance covers 39 offences divided into five categories: treason; insurrection, incitement to mutiny and disaffection and acts with seditious intention; sabotage; external interference; and theft of state secrets and espionage.

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